A Second Chance
by Biff McLaughlin
Summary: A telling of the romance between Zevran and Kallian Tabris, rated M for suggestive scenes. Zevran/Kallian. Complemented by "A Second Chance: The OutTakes" and the sequel "A Second Chance: Awakenings.
1. A New Beginning

**Author's Note:** Of course I do not own Dragon Age and I give a nod to Bioware for their creative genius (nod, nod, nod!). This is my first stab at fan fiction and I welcome reviews/comments on my work thus far.

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**A New Beginning**

Zevran Arainai and Kallian Tabris stood facing each other, clothes dishevelled, daggers drawn, each damp with sweat. The forest floor around them was trampled, showing obvious signs of a struggle; bits of flora clung to each of them. If it weren't for the fact that Kallian's mabari hound, Lucius, was lounging nearby, wholly focussed on devouring a bone, one might have assumed the two elves were duelling each other in earnest.

He saw her shoulder muscles tense ever so slightly and then she was spinning toward him using a very good whirlwind, he thought, as he stepped to his left. Turning, he caught one of her arms with one hand while grabbing her around the waist with his other arm, flipping her onto her back using her own momentum. She looked up at him as he sat on her, and saw he was holding one of her daggers. She cursed, he laughed.

"We said best two of three?" Kallian asked, her breath coming faster than his.

"We did, my dear lady."

She flicked her fingers away from her other blade, holding the dagger loosely between the thumb and forefinger of her hand, both palms facing him. "Fine, you win. I concede defeat."

"Three of five?" He suggested hopefully. He was enjoying the opportunity to help her refine her duelling skills, as it allowed him to spend time with her alone, away from the prying eyes of the rest of their party. He was especially pleased that she had chosen to wear little more than a man's shirt and leggings for the occasion and had been staring at her quite a bit. She either hadn't noticed yet or she no longer minded as much, for she hadn't complained.

"I thought you promised you wouldn't try to kill me again," she protested with a laugh. "Um…do you mind? You may be feather light, but…" She pointed her chin toward her belly.

"But of course, mia cara." Zevran stood and took a step back, offering his hand to Kallian. Taking it, she hopped up with his help.

"What does that mean?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Smiling, Zevran merely replied "Perhaps you should learn Antivan."

"Hmm."

Kallian reached for her cloak and pulled it around her shoulders, tying it loosely at her neck. She seemed lost in thought as she looked into the trees, and Zevran took the opportunity to admire her profile. Kallian was a lovely woman, slender and delicate, yet well toned and strong, with pale skin, emerald eyes, and a cascade of auburn curls loosely gathered at her neck. Stray curls danced around her face in the breeze; desire stirred within him.

"I wonder if I will ever be quick enough to best you," she mused, sheathing her daggers.

Smiling, he sheathed his daggers and began smoothing his hair and clothing. "'Tis a lofty goal, to be certain. I am the best."

"And ever so humble," she replied, her gaze drifting back to him, eyelashes fluttering.

He tilted his head. "So true. I can teach you some exercises to help you become more limber, but that chainmail armour you wear, while rather attractive on your comely frame, is too heavy and cumbersome. You should try something lighter, dragon skin perhaps?"

Zevran shuddered involuntarily as he recalled the high dragon they defeated during their search for the Urn of Sacred Ashes. Not normally squeamish, the thought of possibly being set on fire had not sat well with Zevran and for the first time in his life he had been in favour of sneaking away from the enemy. Grabbing his cloak, he wrapped himself in it and stomped his feet to shake off the memory. He had more pleasurable activities to pursue today.

"Pfft." She began pulling twigs and moss from her hair. "You may be right. About the _weight_ of the armour, that is. I have a collection of drake and dragon scale, and Alistair tells me Master Wade in Denerim is the man to see about that. Oh, I guess we can look for his sister Goldanna then, too."

Kallian had a willingness to help anyone in need of assistance with anything, which was either quite admirable or endlessly annoying, depending on which of her companions one asked about the trait. She was also quite merciful, a quality Zevran appreciated a great deal. Kallian would have been well within her rights to kill him when they first met, given that he had been hired to assassinate her and any other surviving members of the Grey Wardens.

"Speaking of your fellow Grey Warden..."

Kallian fixed her eyes on Zevran's face. "Yes?"

"He is unusually moody today and things seem strained between the two of you. Is everything alright?"

She was quiet for a time, as though she was trying to make a decision, and then she spoke. "Our camp is not _that_ private, Zevran. You must have some idea what's going on."

Smiling, he shrugged. "He has a great deal of affection for you, as do most of your companions. Sten, I am not so sure about, however."

Kallian sat on a nearby log, putting her daggers down beside her. "Yes, well, _Sten_ feels I have no idea how to deal with the arch demon and apparently I am not working hard enough on a plan. I told him I was thinking I could just ask it to leave, but he didn't find that very amusing."

"I do not imagine he would. Alistair, yes. Sten, no."

"He will change his mind about me." Kallian tried to suppress a smile, barely succeeding.

Zevran found himself enjoying watching her try to keep her secret. She was up to something, this he knew, but what? Leaving the Brecilian Forest, she had insisted they stop at Lake Calenhad on their way to Orzammar. There, she had sent their party into the Spoiled Princess to purchase a round of drinks and rooms for the night while she had spoken to a scavenger outside.

In the morning, they resumed their trip to Orzammar and upon arrival there she had spent some time locked in a heated conversation with a merchant outside the gates to the dwarven city. He had looked far less happy when she'd finished with him, but she would not tell anyone what was going on, other than to say she would need to stop in Redcliffe Village on the return trip to Redcliffe Castle.

"I think you changed the subject, my dear."

Kallian was quiet again, chewing the inside of her cheek and examining her boots. After a moment, she looked up. "Zevran, may I ask you something? I need some…advice."

Laughing, Zevran sat on a nearby stump to face her, an exaggerated look of surprise on his face. "Oh, this should be good."

Kallian rolled her eyes. "Yes, well..."

Zevran grinned. "I am intrigued. What do you wish to talk about?"

"Humans, I suppose. I did not have much experience with humans before going on this little _adventure_, and I...Zevran? Could you _please_ not look at me as though you are doing whatever it is you're imagining?" His eyes had wandered to her bosom.

His eyes lingered a moment and then wandered back up to meet hers. "I am sorry. I promise to behave."

"Pfft. You are right about Alistair. He loves me, but I…I wish to remain friends, and now things are strained, as you say." She kicked at a rock in front of her, something the would-be-Templar-turned-Warden Alistair might do, Zevran observed.

"The few humans I dealt with before joining the Grey Wardens were mean and vengeful creatures and I worry about what I have done. I might have…no, I _have_ sent him mixed messages and toyed with his affections, though I did not mean to hurt him. He is rightfully upset with me." She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "Ugh…Do you think...will he be alright?"

"You are asking me for advice in matters of an _intimate_ nature?"

"Yes. _No!_ I mean…there wasn't...We kissed, that is all..._damn it_." _Shut up,_ she told herself angrily as she felt her cheeks warming.

_And there it is, _he thought_. The path to her bed is clear._ "My dear Warden, you are blushing. You look quite lovely when you blush."

Kallian distracted herself by reaching down to pet Lucius who had wandered over to sit at her feet. He put his head in her lap and Zevran found himself feeling envious of the smelly hound.

"You know Alistair better than I, dear lady, but if you are asking will he hold a grudge, I would say no. Indeed, some men will kill over such matters, but not your Alistair. I think you would have to offend him _greatly_ on a moral level to lose his favour. At worst, he will be the petulant child for a time."

"Hmm. Thank you, Zevran." He could see that she was grinding away at a new problem, chewing on her upper lip now. _I should like to nibble on that lip_.

In truth, Kallian was contemplating her relationship with Zevran. She was attracted to him and their conversations of late had become increasingly flirtatious. Her inexperience in such matters, however, had her uncertain of how to proceed. Shianni had only told her about sex and what to expect on her wedding night, barely anything more. They had been drinking, she recalled, and the conversation had deteriorated into fits of giggles within a few pints.

"I have been curious." Zevran stretched and smoothed his clothes again before crossing his arms over his chest and fixing his gaze on Kallian. "How did you become a Grey Warden?"

The question hit Kallian like a stone fist spell and she was not prepared for her reaction to it. None of her companions, not even Alistair, had asked how she came to be a Grey Warden and she had begun to believe they never would. Duncan, who knew all too well what had happened, had tried to get her to open up about the events that lead to her conscription, but she had refused. He had warned her against repressing her emotions, told her to allow herself her grief, but she had not heeded his advice. _The dam will break one day if you do not,_ he had said, and she had not realized what he meant until now.

Her desire to keep the past in the past was so strong that she had not even been in touch with her family since she'd been conscripted eight months ago. They would think she was dead, and in truth she had wished she were for the longest time. She knew Zevran would understand this, but she could not bring herself to talk about it. Not yet. She struggled to maintain her control.

Zevran could not help but notice the Warden's response. Her gaze, which was always firmly planted on his face when they spoke, shifted to the ground near her feet, but not before he noticed her eyes glistened with tears. Her body stiffened, her chin quivered slightly, and though she tried to contain her emotions, her voice was not as confident as usual when she finally spoke.

"Conscription." She cleared her throat and tried to take a deep, calming breath without drawing Zevran's attention.

"I am sorry; did you say you were _conscripted_?" He had always assumed she was a volunteer because her dedication to the order and their cause was strong.

"Yes."

"My dear lady, you sound like Sten." Zevran attempted humour, sensing that Kallian was on the verge of breaking. He found himself distressed at the thought, which only served to put him further on edge. He was not used to caring how others felt.

It almost worked. A short, harsh laugh escaped Kallian's lips, but then she sobbed. Looking slightly horrified, her hand flew to her mouth and she tried to turn away from Zevran. With his usual speed and grace, he was at her feet, holding her face in his hands, wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

Kallian was stunned. This was a side of Zevran she had not seen before. This was not the man who was constantly on the lookout for his next sexual encounter; the cold-hearted assassin, plotting the death of a mark; the man who took pleasure in a well-executed kill. That he might care for her seemed an absurd notion, given what she thought she knew of Zevran, but she had grown fond of him and hoped..._what_? She wasn't entirely certain what she had hoped, but it did not matter now. What mattered _now_ was not breaking down. '_Fearless leader' my ass_.

She wanted to move, to run away and hide, but she couldn't. The warmth of his hands, the way he was looking at her with such tenderness, the smell of him, that delicious scent she couldn't quite place, was so…_comforting_ and after a moment, she felt a bit better. The dam might hold a while longer. Kallian's hands found his and pressed them to her face.

Zevran was just as lost in his own thoughts. If she were still a mark, this would be perfect. She was vulnerable, needing comfort, ripe for the picking as it was said. She would be in his bed shortly and could kill her easily. But she was not his mark and this felt wrong and he realized he was bothered by the fact that it felt wrong. He had not been above taking advantage of such circumstances in the past. _What is stopping me now?_

"Zev?" Kallian's breath on his wrists was warm and inviting.

He let go of her, standing suddenly. "I am sorry, I should not have..."

"No…do not apologize." She stood and reached out to put a hand on Zevran's arm.

Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I...I killed a…_several_ men. In self defence, I swear it, but…" Kallian shrugged, not having to say she would have been sentenced to death regardless of the circumstances. "You can imagine what that would mean for an elf."

He _could_ imagine, quite well in fact. He was surprised, but more than that, he was angry. He could imagine quite well what might move this magnanimous young woman to kill several men in self defence and he found himself greatly disturbed that she may have suffered a physical or sexual assault for a human's amusement. This happened all too often in alienages, he knew, and the thought was abhorrent to him. And yet, he had overheard numerous late-night conversations between the two Grey Wardens and recalled she had confessed to being a virgin, something about not licking lampposts in winter.

She cleared her throat again, swallowing hard. "I cannot speak of this any more right now, I…"

"I understand." Zevran cursed his hand for finding hers, as though it had a mind of its own, but he could not bring himself to pull away from her a second time, not while she was obviously distressed. Instead, he squeezed it gently, saying "We should return to camp; we are losing light."

Glancing to the skies, Kallian nodded. Gathering her daggers, she whistled to Lucius, who quickly stood at her side. With a wave of her hand, she sent him on his way. Wrapping her cloak around herself, she nodded to Zevran and they were off.

Their return to camp drew little attention. Morrigan had set up her tent and a fire a distance away from the rest of the group and was preparing her bed. Sten was meditating; Oghren was drinking; Leliana was sitting with Wynne, telling a story; Alistair was hunched over the cauldron, stirring its contents. It was Alistair who looked up and turned away quickly, avoiding eye contact with Kallian. She sighed and turned to Zevran.

"I need to speak to Morrigan, but could we talk later? Sten has offered to take watch for the night, but you know me…can't sleep. I wonder if you might like to keep me company. We could talk…about…stuff" she finished lamely.

Zevran bowed his head to her. "It would be a pleasure, my dear Warden." He waited until she had reached Morrigan's side before turning to join the others at the fire for something to eat.


	2. Seduction

**Seduction**

Dinner had been a humble affair. Alistair had concocted something he called Ferelden Lamb Stew, the contents of which were debatable, and they had bread, cheese and ale Kallian had purchased from a merchant the day before. Rations were running low, but they hoped they could push on to Redcliffe Village within three days at most.

As had happened for a few nights now, while the rest of the group was engaged in conversation Alistair had eaten away from them. When he was finished his dinner, he cleaned up after himself and retired to his tent. As the evening wore on, the others cleaned up and prepared to turn in for the night, while Kallian stood by the fire with Lucius at her side. Sten walked the perimeter of the camp, eyes constantly scanning the forest.

After a while, as the sounds of soft snoring, loud in Oghren's case, drifted toward the fire, Zevran appeared next to Kallian, clean and in fresh clothing.

"Hello, my dear Warden. Do you sense anything out there tonight?" While he did not know how such things worked, he knew that both Alistair and Kallian were able to sense when the darkspawn were near.

She shook her head. "It seems quiet. I don't know why, but I am going to enjoy the peace while we have it. I am so tired; if only I could truly sleep."

It seemed that both she and Alistair had difficulty sleeping and they often had nightmares. She had once said they could hear the darkspawn and the arch demon communicating with each other, a thought that chilled Zevran to the bone and made him appreciate them and the task they faced that much more.

Speaking softly, he asked "You wished me to join you. May I ask why?"

"Oh, in spite of how we met, I like you and I enjoy the time we spend together." She was chewing on her lip, looking slightly distressed.

Zevran risked a bold move, reaching out to brush a stray curl of hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. Pleased that she did not object, he allowed his finger to linger along the lines of the tattoo that adorned the right side of her face. His touch sent shivers of pleasure through Kallian, fuelling her desire for him.

"You seek the company of a friend?"

She turned to face him. "I think of you as more than a friend, Zevran." _I am ready for this. I am in my seventeenth year and would have been married and likely with child by now, had things been different._

"Glad I am to hear it. I must admit I have thought of you in the same way." He purred with a mischievous grin, stepping closer to her.

Returning his grin, she took a step back. "I…want to ask you something, Zev." He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Lowering her voice and leading him to the outer edge of the fire's light, away from their party's cluster of tents, she continued. "You must have quite a history, with women I mean."

She hoped her expression didn't betray the fact that she was quite startled by how quickly her thoughts were turning to actions. Surely these matters were far less frightening than confronting demons and darkspawn?

"Mmmm, this could be quite a sensitive topic, my dear lady. Are you sure you wish to voyage there?"

"I asked, didn't I?"

His eyes held hers a while before he spoke. "As you wish. Let me start by saying that my history is varied indeed. It has also not been restricted to women. Does that offend you?"

"Should it?" She had never thought about it, but it wasn't as though she had never heard of such a thing. Leliana apparently enjoyed the company of women.

"Perhaps. That is entirely up to you. I grew up among _whores_, my dear. Sex is best done when it is done well, and truly that is my only rule. Do I prefer women? Yes, yes I believe I do. But you must understand that a certain open mindedness is sought by the Crows in their recruits, for good reasons."

"Those being?"

"I have had to do many things in my work as an assassin; some pleasant and many not so. The Crows recruit elven assassins because we are considered beautiful by humans. I'm sure you can imagine the rest."

His hand touched hers. "I cannot change my past, obviously. I regret far more than the men and women I have been with, and if that is more than you can bear it is best we know now, yes?"

Kallian hooked one of her fingers around his. "It doesn't bother me, Zevran."

"You are a better person than most." Taking her hand, he moved closer until his body was almost touching hers.

She could hardly speak and wondered if he could hear her heart pounding in her chest, it seemed that loud to her. She raised her free hand to his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin under the cool fabric of his shirt. A pleasant stirring in her groin quickened her breath.

Zevran tipped his head to her. "Tsk, tsk. You look so tired, my dear. It is all this constant walking and fighting. My thought is this. Why don't we retire to your tent and I shall show you the sorts of massage skills that one only learns growing up in an Antivan whorehouse."

Kallian cocked an eyebrow at him, a smile pulling at her lips. _Such lovely, pouty lips,_ Zevran thought. She was nodding, telling Lucius to join Sten. The hound was suddenly quite alert and stood up to circle the camp.

Zevran leaned forward, his mouth near Kallian's ear. "And if I might ask, if the opportunity to proceed past the massage should present itself...?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something." She felt a certain amount of relief that he was the first to approach the subject of their coupling, but that did nothing to calm her nerves.

"Then why are we still talking?"

Kallian hesitated. "Zevran, I...ah..."

He gazed into her eyes. "Yes?"

"I am not experienced...and_…_I am nervous." The shy smile that graced her mouth warmed Zevran.

His eyes lit up with delight and he chuckled softly. "Marvellous! And happy I am that you would consider allowing me to be your first lover. It is quite an honour."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, lightly at first, his lips teasing hers. Slowly, his kisses became more demanding, his tongue exploring her mouth, his teeth pulling lightly at her lips. Kallian began to feel a bit dizzy and weak in the knees from the pleasure his kisses brought her. After a few more, he pulled away somewhat reluctantly.

"Mmm, mia cara, shall we?" He pointed to her tent.

Willing her legs to move and not fail her, she led him to her tent and slipped inside, settling on her knees as he followed, closing the door flap behind him. He turned to face her again and, raising an eyebrow as if to ask for permission, reached out to unlace her shirt.

Kallian blushed, her own hand going to his. She had never been naked before any man. Zevran embraced her again.

"Do you trust me?" He whispered into her ear.

She could feel the promise of what was to come swelling between them and desire quickly replaced the nervous energy she was struggling to contain. Giving in to him, she nodded and let Zevran remove her shirt and britches as she stretched out on her bed roll.

The waning firelight set her tent aglow, allowing them to see each other and Zevran leaned back to admire her figure as he removed his own shirt. He had seen many fine things in his life, but this elven lass with smooth porcelain skin, lying naked before him took his breath away. _The Maker is indeed generous with his blessings, _Zevran thought_._ Self control would take some effort.

"On your belly." He said, waiting for her to roll over. Unable to help himself, he leaned over to kiss her back where it curved up toward her very lovely bottom and was rewarded with a surprised gasp.

Producing a bottle of scented oil from a small pouch he had with him, he straddled Kallian's hips, poured oil into his hands and rubbed them both together. When he finally reached down to begin massaging her neck, his hands were almost hot and she moaned as the warmth seeped into her tired muscles. The oil made her skin tingle and filled her tent with the heady scent of exotic spices. Zevran set to work, kneading and stroking her neck, shoulders and back until he was satisfied he had managed to release a great deal of the tension she held there.

"How are you feeling?" Zevran asked at last, bending over her, lips touching her ear.

"Mmmm..." Kallian had not realized how much she hurt and could not remember a time in her life when she had felt more…wonderful.

Zevran shifted his weight to one knee and settled down beside her so she could roll over onto her back. With a flutter of long dark eyelashes, Kallian opened her eyes and looked into his. She reached out and slid a finger up and around his ear, pulling a groan from his chest. Her lips grazed his throat. Something tugged at his brain and conflicting emotions battled briefly, but the feel of Kallian beside him, this woman he had desired for weeks now, distracted him and pulled him back into the present.

Zevran pulled back to look at her. Eyes closed again, a soft smile on her lips, her hair a cloud of curls around her head, she was radiant.

"Have you thought of what you would like to do now?"

"Make love to me, Zevran."

He had heard those words before, from the lowliest of whores to the highest of nobles, but never before had they threatened to ruin him so completely. Ignoring the growing sense of conflict that tugged at his brain, he took Kallian's face in his hands and kissed her forehead, eyes, nose and finally, that irresistible mouth.

Zevran cupped her breasts in his hands, kissing and licking her nipples, tugging at them gently with his teeth until they swelled. Kallian groaned, arching her back. He planted a trail of kisses across her chest and down her belly, and with each touch her desire for him grew. Zevran slipped his hand down her body to rest on her mons, which he squeezed gently, drawing a gasp from Kallian. His fingers played with the folds of her flesh, which were already dewed with her juices.

"Ah, mia cara, you are a delight to behold. I should like to kiss you there, my dear, if you would allow it."

"Show me, Zevran," Kallian whispered breathlessly. "Show me _everything_."

If it weren't for her virginity he would have surely mounted her then and there, her words so aroused him. Another time. Now, however, he wished to exercise patience and tenderness.

He slid down the length of her body, spreading her legs apart, smiling as her breath quickened. "You are so lovely, mia cara." And with that he kissed the folds of her flesh and began to explore her with his tongue.

"Ah, Zevran!" She gasped.

His tongue darted in and out of her, probing for the button of pleasure within. He pulled at it with his lips, flicking it with his tongue and raking it gently with his teeth until she was nearly mad with the pleasure of it. She writhed beneath him and cried out as he held her down and continued his sweet torture for a time. Quite suddenly, he stopped.

"Not so quickly, my dear. Pleasure is best when shared."

Her eyes opened to see him kneeling between her legs, pushing his own britches off and her eyes followed the flow of the tattoos that ran down his side and wound around his left thigh. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of his swollen manhood. "I have never seen a man as the Maker made him," she whispered. In her innocence she wondered how she could possibly accommodate him.

As if sensing her thoughts, Zevran pulled her up into an embrace. "Do not worry, my dear, I shall be most gentle. You deserve nothing less."

He gasped with surprise and delight as she reached down and grabbed him firmly. Following her instincts, she bent down and took him in her mouth. His approval was evident as he moaned with pleasure. She followed his example, sucking him, running her tongue along the length of him, enjoying the taste of him. She knew by the sounds he made that the end of his member was more sensitive and she began to focus her efforts there. Kallian was grateful Shianni had insisted on counselling her on sexual matters before her wedding, or she would be quite lost right now.

"Ah, you vixen! And you say you are inexperienced at the art of love?"

He pulled her up and filled his hands with her hair, kissing her hard until she could barely breathe. They tumbled back onto her bedroll, kissing and groping each other, rolling back and forth as much as the cramped space would allow, arms and legs entangled, until he finally settled between her legs again.

"Zevran, please…" Kallian begged, pulling at his hips. "_Please_."

He hesitated, his face nuzzled into the crook of her neck. "A woman's first time can be painful, mia cara, I…"

In what seemed like an instant, she twisted out from underneath Zevran, forcing him on his back. While he was quite pleased she was so bold and uninhibited, he was startled at how quickly she moved considering their duelling practice earlier that day.

"I have been beaten, stabbed, cut and hit with so many spells I have lost track. This shall be sweet by comparison, I am sure of it."

She straddled Zevran's hips, took but a moment to position him beneath her and sat down, crying out as she took him into her fully. Had it not been for the blood that appeared between them as she moved up and down on top of him, he would not have believed she was a virgin. She was unlike any other he had ever known. She was tight and warm and the sight of her atop him was beyond compare.

Gasping, he took her by the hips to slow her movements. "Lentamente, mia cara. Slowly."

He guided her with his hands, and was delighted as she began to move her hips back and forth as well as up and down. When he felt he may be reaching a climax, he pulled her down to kiss him. Flipping her onto her back, he laughed. "Fair play, mia cara."

She pouted. "But it felt so good, Zevran. I cannot explain it, but...Ah!"

He had thrust into her again, pulling out almost entirely and thrusting back into her. Kallian dug her nails into his back and brought her hips up to meet his with each stroke.

"I want you on your knees, Kallian," Zevran whispered hoarsely several minutes later as he pulled away from her.

She complied and moaned softly as he entered her again, slowly and gently this time. He reached for her hand and brought it to where their bodies met so she could touch herself and she cried out with pleasure, her fingers finding the nub of flesh he had played with earlier. There was no stopping now; he was reaching a crisis and could feel she was too. As they reached their climax together, they cried out and collapsed to the ground. They stayed like that for a time, Zevran lying on Kallian, kissing her neck until he realized she was weeping softly.

"Mia cara, what it is?" He asked, rolling onto his side and pushing her hair away so he could see her face.

She snuggled close to him, wiping her eyes. "Zevran, I...I don't know why I should cry when indeed I am happy."

"Ah, women are often overcome at such times. It is natural, my sweet."

"Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked, searching his face eagerly.

"Of course, my dear Kallian. Close your eyes and try to sleep, mia cara."

Surprisingly, she fell asleep within minutes, and Zevran followed suit shortly thereafter. They slept soundly for several hours, waking only when Lucius poked his head into the tent near first light.

xXx

Zevran roused Kallian with kisses and suggested they take a quick dip in the river to wash away signs of the passion they had shared the night before. Dressing lightly and pulling a drying towel from Kallian's pack, they slipped out of her tent, walked the short distance to the river, stripped naked and jumped into the cold water. After a few chilly minutes of washing, they climbed out and took turns drying each other.

Seeing he was becoming aroused again, Kallian allowed her hand to linger at his groin, fondling his manhood. His hand slipped between her legs, inciting her passions once again. Finally unable to stand it any longer, Zevran grabbed Kallian around the waist and lifted her up.

"What are you doing?" She asked between kisses to his neck.

"I intend to take you here and now, unless you object," he warned her, leaning his head back so he could look her in the eye.

She smiled. "Show me."

Moving her slightly, he found her wet and inviting and slid into her easily causing her to gasp.

"Oh, Zevran! Yes, yes!"

They continued to make love as the sun rose and again they reached their climax together. After a moment's rest, Zevran laughed.

"Now we must bathe again, beauty, but this time I shall dry myself off lest you tempt me again!"

"Would that be such a terrible thing?" She asked coyly, slipping back into the river.

"No, it would not, but what will the others think?" He joined her briefly, then jumped out to dry himself off.

Tossing the rather wet towel to her as she climbed out, Zevran began pulling his britches on. "I knew this would happen eventually. I should have warned you right from the moment you refused to kill me. It was inevitable." He pulled his shirt on and buttoned it up.

Hanging the towel over a branch, Kallian made a face at him as she pulled on her dress. "Here I thought I seduced you."

"Well, aren't you a saucy minx! I was seduced and didn't even know it." He smoothed his hair and looked at her.

"So, as the priestess so famously said to the handsome actor, what now?"

Kallian breathed a sigh of relief, hoping it wasn't too obvious. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

Zevran moved closer, putting an arm around her waist and taking her chin in his hand. "Allow me to make it simple for you, my Grey Warden. What comes next is entirely up to you. I shall ask no more of you than you are willing to give."

"And what of love?" She knew what he would say, more or less. They had had many late night talks about his upbringing, his career as a Crow and, most recently, a woman named Rinna.

"Ah, I was born of a whore and bred as an assassin. All I know of is pleasure and death. What room is there in these things for love?"

There was a melancholy tone to his voice, but it was quickly replaced with his usual bravado as he kissed her and stepped back, saying "At any rate, we should be on our way."


	3. Exposed

**Author's Note:** I should have mentioned at the start of chapter 2 that some dialog had been pinched from the game, but I'm sure it's familiar enough one need not worry. Another nod to Bioware; I have played with some of their dialog here. Enjoy!

* * *

**Exposed**

It took only one more day before anyone approached the topic of the budding romance between Kallian and Zevran. The lovers had spent the night together again and Kallian's mood was far more cheerful than usual. Even when they were set upon by a group of bandits who refused her mercy, and later that same morning by a pack of darkspawn, she was quite upbeat, fighting with a certain…_cockiness_.

"May I speak with you, Kallian?" Wynne asked when they stopped to eat and rest at midday. Redcliffe was visible on the horizon, another day's travel away.

"Of course."

Wynne motioned her away from the group.

"You look serious. Is everything okay?" Wynne was not exactly alive, after all, and Kallian feared the spirit sustaining her might slip back into the Fade at any moment, leaving Wynne to fall dead.

"You're quite taken with each other, aren't you?"

"Ah, what? _Oh_, you know about Zevran and me." _Well, this is awkward._

"I wish I didn't. Most of us cannot sleep half the night for all the racket you two make." She smiled as Kallian cringed.

"Maker's _breath_, I am so sorry." _And may the Maker take me right now._

This would explain why Alistair was even quieter than usual. He had not spoken a word to anyone for a while. She would have to speak with him, and hope she didn't die of embarrassment or ruin their friendship entirely. Had she acted too impulsively? Wynne's voice brought her out of her reverie.

"Are you in love with him?"

"Wynne, I..._what_? I do not know. I care about him, yes, but...well, he's fun to be with and we enjoy each other's company." She couldn't think of anything else to say and the words rushed out of her.

"His only concern is pleasure, he takes nothing seriously..."

"Wynne, Zev is a bit more complicated than that." Kallian's gaze drifted toward the rest of her team. Zevran was chatting with Leliana. He spotted her and smiled, winking.

"Love is, by its very nature, a selfish thing. It requires that you devote yourself entirely to one person. As a Grey Warden, you cannot afford to be selfish. You have a responsibility to _all_ the people of Ferelden."

"I can handle my relationships and responsibilities, Wynne." _Maker help me, I wish she would stop this. _She wasn't sure she sounded convinced. What if Wynne was right and her relationship with Zevran could cloud her judgement?

"And if you have to choose between the two? And what about the others? Do you not think your actions affect them as well?"

Kallian turned to face the mage. "I know they do, Wynne, but you make things sound more dire than they are. I know what I'm doing." She truly hoped she did.

Wynne knew by the look on Kallian's face that the conversation was over, and nodded, standing up. "I have given you my opinion."

"Thank you. I appreciate it, Wynne, _I do_. I'll be a moment...I see some elfroot and we could use more..." It was a weak excuse, but she needed to pull her thoughts together.

She watched Wynne return to the group and began plucking leaves from the plant she had spotted nearby, trying to sort out what she should do next. Maybe nothing, but that was too easy. She would have to speak to Alistair today. A footstep behind her made her jump and she turned to find Leliana standing beside her.

"Andraste's breath. Leliana, you startled me."

The Orlesian Bard smiled, giggling as she did. "So. You and Zevran." It was a statement, not a question.

"Um...Yes. Yes, that is correct."

"I am surprised, considering he tried to kill you, but he is handsome, personable, quick witted, and I can see you have been lonely. When we were with the Dalish, it was clear you had longed for the company of other elves. You must miss your family and friends a great deal. If you trust Zevran that is all that is important." She was far brighter than she seemed, this pretty bard.

Kallian nodded, grateful to know someone understood. "Thank you, Leliana. I do not know where or how to start with Alistair, but I know I must speak with him. What should I do?"

"Just find him and say what comes to you. You cannot help what your heart wants, just as he cannot help what his wants. Even if you were of a mind to be with him, if he is to be king, that would be the end of it. Surely he knows this. I doubt he would want to cause you pain."

"My thoughts exactly, but I dread this. Ugh. Do you know where he is?"

Leliana shook her head. "He cannot be far. I can take those for you," she said, pointing to Kallian's collection of elfroot leaves.

Kallian found Alistair sitting on a log a short distance into the woods near the clearing where they rested. He had been polishing his father's sword and was now twisting and untwisting the cloth, staring deeper into the woods.

Wasting no time, she addressed him formally as befitted who he was, bastard or no. "My lord, I would speak with you, please."

He didn't move or look at her. "Now is not a good time and would you please stop calling me that."

"If not now, when, _Alistair_? We cannot continue this way; it has become awkward for everyone else."

"How _could_ you? How could you toy with my affections and then take up with that...that _assassin_?" His tone was bitter and filled with anger.

Tears swelled in Kallian's eyes. "Have you no care for _me_, or is _your_ desire paramount in your mind?" She demanded. "How dare _you_ not consider what would happen to me if we were lovers and you became king."

"I will not be king," he hissed.

"You heard Eamon and Teagan. If we cannot put you on the throne, Loghain wins. We do not know where Anora's allegiance lies. She could very well call for our execution!" She moved to stand in front of him.

"What you desire would eventually break my heart, Alistair. You _must_ know this. You could not possibly marry an elf if you were king, and I will not be someone's mistress. Besides, if I am to marry, I wish to marry an elf; if there is a chance I can have children, I want them to be elven. Zevran and I may not last long, but _you _and I can_ never _be_._"

Kallian fell to her knees. "I am sorry, Alistair, that I have done this to you. I _never_ intended to do you harm. You mean a great deal to me and I deeply regret that I have hurt you."

He was quiet for several minutes and she thought she might die waiting for him to say something, but she stayed silent. Alistair's eyes were brimming with tears when he finally lifted his head to look at her.

"I saw you together," he finally whispered, his voice breaking with emotion. "Yesterday morning, at the river."

Kallian buried her face in her hands, thoroughly ashamed. If she had known he was there, or heard him...but it was too late, the damage was done and her heart was breaking for him. If their places were reversed, she knew she would have been devastated.

"I do not know what to say," she cried. Alistair's reply, however, surprised her.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful and…_perfect_ as the two of you were together at that moment. You practically _glowed_." Tears were flowing down his face now, prone as he was to emotion. "I know what you say is true and I hate how I have behaved. I am jealous, I do love you, but I cannot deny you happiness. It is I who owes you the apology...Sister. I am sorry."

Grey Wardens often called each other Brother and Sister. This was the first time he had ever referred to her as such, and while it pained her to see him so upset, she knew now he would be able to move past this and they would be okay eventually.

"I know there is nothing to do but accept it. Please just be patient with me. And don't expect me to like that…jackass…any time soon."

A sobbing laugh escaped Kallian's lips and she took his hands in hers. "Aye. For you, Brother, I shall have all the patience in the world."

Zevran had been watching from a distance, from the moment she had approached Alistair. She fell to her knees and tension knotted in Zevran's chest; she cried and the tension was replaced with a yearning to hold her; she took Alistair's hands and the tension returned and Zevran's mood darkened. He shook his head. This was madness. When he looked up to see her striding toward him, a smile on her face, he felt lighter. _I am going mad, truly._

Kallian surprised him by embracing him, pressing her body into his. "I had to confront him," she explained, looking up into Zevran's amber eyes as she pushed away. "He needs time, but I think he will be fine. And _we_," she poked him in the ribs, her cheeks turning pink "apparently make a lot of noise."

He couldn't help but smirk. "Perhaps I should gag you?"

"It was all me, is it? I seem to recall differently, Zev, now that I think back on it. But now that you have mentioned gagging me in that context, do you have an extra strip of cloth?" Kallian asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Laughing, she began to run, shouting back to him. "Let's get back on the road to Redcliffe. I have an appointment with a dwarf!"


	4. Night Terrors

**Author's Note:** As always, I cannot take credit for Bioware's creation and those of you who are familiar with the story will recognize snippets of dialog taken from the game. I will take credit for Kallian's characterization, however. Please feel free to review.

* * *

**Night Terrors**

They stopped for the night when it became too dark to travel any further. Redcliffe was only a half day's travel away now. Zevran cooked dinner, a rabbit and vegetable stew, which even Alistair had to admit, was quite tasty. Kallian decided not to mention that Lucius had caught the rabbits and had mangled them a little in the process, more out of consideration for the dog's feelings than anyone else's. As the moon climbed higher in the sky, the group of weary travellers cleaned up and prepared for bed.

Alistair took first watch and wandered off with Lucius, carefully avoiding Kallian and Zevran, who found themselves alone by the fire. Using their packs for support, they leaned back to look at the stars.

"What will you do when this is all over, Zev?" Kallian asked with a yawn, snuggling closer to him, her head on his chest.

"I do not know, but it seems I have options, yes?"

"Yes, but I suppose the Crows will look for you?"

"They are like the tides, predictable. They will send someone for me eventually, of this I am certain." He stroked her hair, winding a strand around his finger, and pondered aloud what career he might take up after the blight was over.

_The air around Kallian slowly changed. It was getting hotter, the sky became tinged with red, Zevran's soft, accented voice turned into a dull roar, and the smell of smoke and darkspawn assaulted her senses. A dragon came into view high above her, a huge dragon, terrifying to behold. It roared to the darkspawn hoard below it as it circled. _

_Looking down, it saw her and changed direction, bearing down on her. She called out for her companions, but no one came. She reached for her blades, but they were not strapped to her back. She was in a shirt and britches, her armour nowhere in sight. She had no choice but to run, as the dragon continued to bear down on her._

Screaming, Kallian sat up, arms flailing about her, her legs struggling to run on ground that no longer existed.

"Kallian!" Zevran was trying to stay her arms. "It is a dream, my dear, wake up."

Alistair fell to his knees in front of them, trying to hold Kallian's legs, Lucius whimpering behind him. The rest of their party was awake, struggling to get out of their tents, weapons drawn.

"Zevran, slap her!" Alistair roared at the assassin.

Zevran paused only a moment before turning to Kallian. "I am sorry my dear, but you are hysterical."

He slapped her across the face, hard. Kallian was immediately still and it seemed barely a moment passed before she slapped Zevran back and then she was on her knees, grabbing at Alistair.

"Did you see it, too?" He asked as he took her hands in his, a look of horror on his face.

Zevran watched the two of them as they held onto each other and found himself thinking he would be jealous if he weren't so…_afraid_. If Zevran Arainai felt fear, something bad was happening.

Kallian was in tears. "Wh-what was th-that, the arch demon?" Her voice was nearing a hysterical pitch and everyone else was on edge, at the ready for battle.

"It's like it saw us. _Saw_ us," Alistair gulped. "Wait, did you hear something?"

That was all the warning they had before they were set upon by a group of darkspawn. Morrigan cast a tempest spell and a cloud of electricity crackled around the entire campsite and then she began throwing cone of cold spells at their attackers. Beside her, Wynne cast protective spells on her allies to protect them from friendly fire. Leliana had two quivers of arrows with her; one set inflicted shock damage, the other frost. She went back and forth between the two with remarkable speed and was incredibly accurate considering she'd been quite rudely awakened mere minutes earlier. Alistair, Sten and Oghren dove into the fray, blades and shield swinging back and forth, while Zevran and Kallian circled behind their enemies, daggers slicing and stabbing. Lucius gnashed and clawed at anything he could.

Almost as quickly as it had started, it was over, the Wardens and their companions stunned. The merchants who normally camped with them, Sandal and Bodhan, had fled in their wagon at some point; the group's tents and supplies had been knocked everywhere; several hurlocks and genlocks lay dead around them. Kallian ran to Zevran, throwing her arms around him with such force they almost fell over.

"I am sorry, I'm _so_ sorry." She sobbed into his neck.

"No, no. Say no more, you were not yourself, my dear Warden."

Morrigan was mumbling to herself as she righted their tents with Leliana's help. "What will they send next, dark spawn _tax collectors_?"

Sten started moving corpses to the tree line while Oghren and Wynne gathered the group's things. Alistair approached Zevran and Kallian, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"May I speak with you for a moment?" He looked at Zevran with raised eyebrows as if to ask him to leave, which might have offended if he hadn't looked so terribly worried.

Taking Kallian's chin in hand Zevran kissed her and hugged her tightly before moving off to search the dead for anything of value.

"Well, I guess it's official. It's a blight," Alistair mumbled. "This campsite has been compromised; we have to leave."

"Right. Let's pack up and go now. Morrigan can light our way. We need to be more careful, Alistair." She rubbed tears from her face.

"And here I thought we were being careful."

"You fell asleep, Alistair!" She hissed quietly so the others couldn't hear.

He blushed several shades of red. "I…well, yes. I'm sorry."

"From now on, when we're at camp, two people should be on watch at all times and we will rotate on shorter shifts. No more drawing straws or stone, parchment, sword games; we will determine who is the most alert at the time. You and I should always take watch with others and try to keep an eye open whenever we cannot sleep. 'Tis better than this, being caught completely off guard."

"Kallian?" Alistair pulled her into an embrace, patting her head and quickly releasing her. He was hurting and jealous and still trying to navigate his feelings for her, but he was grateful she was okay and back in charge.

"I…ah, right. We should move, try to find Sandal and Bodhan? Maybe they thought to head for Redcliffe."

She nodded, squeezing his arm. "I hope so. Um…right. Okay." She reached out to pet Lucius and turned to the others. "We're going to pack up and get moving _now_. Zevran, could you please see if you can determine which way Sandal and Bodhan went?"

He was quick to report that it appeared they had continued southeast along the Imperial Highway toward Redcliffe and he saw no blood or footsteps other than their own where their wagon had been sitting. This was promising, at least. They were on the road within the hour, Morrigan in the lead with Kallian, a ball of fire bobbing about just above their heads.

xXx

The sun rose on a surprisingly pleasant day and they found themselves reaching the gates to Redcliffe Castle by mid-morning. Kallian stopped the group.

"In spite of the somewhat disturbing events of the wee small hours of the morning, we are here and I have business to attend to. I'm going to need Alistair, Zevran and Wynne with me. Leliana, please take Lucius with you and let Arl Eamon know we will be along within an hour or so. See if you can arrange baths for all of us. I don't want to have to discuss our strategy while reeking of the road." The group split up and went their separate ways.

Alistair fell into step with Kallian as they made their way down into the village. "What is this about? Where are we going?"

"I need to speak with Dwyn."

"Well, I don't imagine he'll be too happy to see you." Kallian had all but threatened to kill him if he didn't help defend the village from attacks by the minions of a demon that had possessed the Arl's son, Connor.

Kallian shrugged. "Pfft. I'd go alone, but I am probably going to need help."

"Fine, be mysterious."

When they reached Dwyn's house, Kallian asked her companions to stay outside. Knocking and barely waiting for Dwyn's reply, she stepped into his home and closed the door behind her. Alistair and Wynne turned to Zevran, who simply shrugged to indicate he had no idea what was going on. Using stealth, he slipped closer to a window and peered inside. After a moment, he returned to the others.

"They were talking, Dwyn gave her something, and then she headed into the back…" he was cut off by the sound of Kallian shouting.

"Alistair? A little help here!"

Expecting the worst, Alistair had his sword and shield ready in an instant, kicked open the front door and stormed into the small living area, followed closely by Zevran who had his daggers drawn. Dwyn and his two henchmen were pressed against the far wall, rather startled.

"I'm back here, and I really hope you didn't break anything. Dwyn has been quite cooperative." It sounded as though she were struggling with something.

Alistair turned several shades of red as he excused himself and walked to the back of the room to peer around the corner. What he saw made him laugh out loud. The petite elf was struggling to drag a monstrous sword across the floor, but it was clearly far too heavy for her to manage. Putting his own sword and shield away, he reached out and took the blade from her.

"Thank you. We can go now." And she was out the door with a quick word of thanks to Dwyn, giving him some coin to cover any repairs to his front door, pulling Zevran along with her.

Alistair and Wynne followed. "What is this?" Alistair asked, examining the blade carefully.

"It's a sword, Alistair." she replied with a smile. When he protested, she simply raised her eyebrows at him and insisted they press forward. They walked the rest of the way to Redcliffe Castle in relative silence.

Upon arrival, the four companions entered the main hall of the castle to find the rest of their party talking with Arl Eamon and his brother Teagan, bann of Rainesfere. Heads turned to them, and upon seeing the sword in Alistair's hands, Sten strode forward, an odd expression on his face.

"Ah…what?" Sten reached for the sword in Alistair's hands. "Oh, sure, I…ah…have my own?"

After several minutes of silence, Sten finally spoke, his voice and expression soft. "Strange. I had almost forgotten it. Completion. Are you sure you are a Grey Warden? I think you must be an Ashkari to find a single lost blade in a country at war." He stared down at Kallian for a moment, the others in the room forgotten.

"I would thank you for this if I knew how."

"There's no need, really." Kallian reached out and gave Sten's arm a squeeze. He barely took notice.

"I could deliver a much more satisfying answer to the Arishok's question if the blight were ended, don't you agree?"

"Yes. I am happy to have you with us, Sten, and I am glad I could find Asala for you."

Nodding, with just a hint of admiration shining in his eyes, Sten went to his pack to retrieve his sword's sheath.

Carrying on as though nothing significant had happened, Kallian strode forward to greet Eamon and Teagan, stopping to bow before them.

"My lords, it is good to see you again."

Arl Eamon stepped forward, extending his hand to grasp Kallian's. "And you, Warden. I understand you have had a rather frightening morning. Rooms have been made ready for you and your companions, the fires lit, and baths drawn. Please make yourselves comfortable, get some rest, and join us for dinner. I will have someone come to collect you closer to the dinner hour. We shall discuss matters then."

"Thank you, my lord. Bann Teagan." Kallian nodded to Teagan.

"Warden. 'Tis good to see you."

"And 'tis very good to be seen, my lord, I assure you. We shall take our leaves, my lords."

xXx

The group dispersed to the guest wing of the castle, easily finding their rooms. Kallian was surprised to find that Zevran's things were also in her room, as was he, when he finally caught up with them.

"Oh. I wonder who arranged this." Zevran was leaning against the doorframe, thinking it was likely Leliana. _Maker bless her._

"You don't mind?" She asked nervously.

As much as he thought he should mind, he did not, which was a new thing to him. He would have come here to be with her in any event, and after her terrifying experience earlier, he wouldn't leave her alone. Zevran came to her and he held her close. She wrapped her arms around him and while she didn't make a sound, he could feel that she was crying. He didn't understand how her safety and happiness could have come to mean so much to him, but it had and seeing her this way was unsettling to him.

"Mia cara, we have a large tub full of hot water and I have my oils. Shall we?" He waved a hand at the tub.

She looked at him and truly _saw_ him, covered in blood and dirt and Maker knew what else, and was nodding her head and pulling at her armour, wondering how on earth they had dared present themselves to Arl Eamon in such a state. Zevran helped her remove her chainmail. Getting down to her small clothes, he eyed her figure, smiling lasciviously as she pulled them off.

Using a bowl of water and a cloth, Zevran washed Kallian's hands and face before dripping some scented oil into the tub and stirring the water. Letting her climb in and adjust to the temperature of the water, he stripped down, washed his hands and face, and joined her. For a while, they soaked, not saying anything. Zevran watched Kallian, wondering what thoughts were running through her mind. She was young and in a short time, she had suffered great tragedy and loss and war, while assuming a great deal of responsibility. For someone who likely never would have seen a battle field otherwise, she was handling it all remarkably. _Is the strain becoming too much for her?_ He had not seen her cry until just a few days ago, and she had wept several times since.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Just being here, like this."

She slipped under the water to wet her hair and then began washing herself. They helped each other wash and rinse their hair and backs, and when they were finished Zevran kissed the nape of Kallian's neck, pulling her into an embrace. She sighed and relaxed against him, bringing his hands to her breasts. He fondled her gently, teasing her nipples with his thumbs and forefingers.

Feeling him harden against her, she turned her head to kiss his cheek. "Perhaps we should get out of this dirty water and dry off? Maybe take a nap?"

"You wish to sleep, do you?"

"Not at all, Zev. Sleep is far from my mind at the moment."


	5. Redcliffe

**Author's Note:** I borrow quite heavily from game dialog in this chapter, and thank Bioware for that and their work. Thank you, reviewers, for the kind comments and encouragement so far. Most of this chapter is pretty light. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Redcliffe**

_Drying oneself off after a bath would not normally be an erotic experience_, Zevran thought with a smile. Kallian was proving it certainly could be as she wiped his chest and abdomen dry. She kneeled before him and dried each of his legs and feet before standing again to dry his back, deliberately not touching his manhood. As she moved the towel back and forth across his buttocks, he whirled around and grabbed her wrists, pulling her to him.

She sighed as he kissed her, probing her mouth with his tongue, pulling at her lips with his teeth. Their towel fell to the floor, forgotten. Kallian dug into his hair and grabbed handfuls of it. Reaching for her thighs, Zevran pulled her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling her wet warmth against him. Kallian emitted a shriek as they toppled onto the bed, and they both laughed.

Looking serious again, she took his face in her hands and looked into his amber eyes. "Zev," she whispered. "I have needed you since the attack this morning, to feel something so completely the opposite of that evil. I don't understand it, but being with you…I feel safer in your arms. I want you, now. Please."

He felt quite suddenly intoxicated with desire and slipped between her legs. Staring back into Kallian's eyes, Zevran held her hands above her head and slowly pushed himself into her. It was like nothing he had experienced before. He felt _euphoric_. They found a comfortable rhythm and made slow, deliberate love to one another, never breaking eye contact. When they reached orgasm, they cried out, bodies shuddering with pleasure, her hips grinding into his, and he didn't want it to end. This woman knew what he was and wanted him anyway; she responded to him; she was fierce, generous and beautiful. Everything he desired, yet nothing he thought he deserved, and she wanted him.

"Oh, Zev," she purred, lips grazing his, green eyes flashing. "I…that was amazing."

She had almost said 'I love you' and stopped herself. She knew it was true for her at least, and was both elated and terrified. Love came with the promise of great joy, but it brought pain as well. There was a blight, a civil war was brewing, and they were currently wanted criminals according to Loghain. With their futures so uncertain, this hardly seemed the time to be falling in love, but there it was. A wise bard had told her 'you cannot help what your heart wants'.

Zevran brought her hands to his mouth and kissed her fingers. "You are divine, amata." That gave him pause. Amata was Antivan for beloved, something he had never called any woman before Kallian, not even..._Surely it means nothing_.

Kallian ran her nails up and down his spine, giggling at the way it made him shiver. "Now I think I would like a nap, Zev. You?"

Zevran shifted to her side and she turned her back to him so they could spoon their bodies together. He kissed her neck and back, enjoying the fact that his scent was on her.

"I should like to have some of that wine there and try to sleep, yes." He pointed to the bottle and goblets on the bedside table.

Kallian teased him by wriggling her backside against his groin before turning over to look at him. Her breasts pressed against his chest, adding to her already admirable cleavage and he couldn't resist bending to kiss it.

"Ah, such delights you have, my dear. It is a shame the dresses you Ferelden women wear are so dreary."

"Would you prefer I wear something like Morrigan's robes?" These amounted to strips of fabric held together with more strips of fabric, it seemed, and her ample curves were certainly not hidden from the world.

"Would you?" His eyes gleamed as she smacked his arm.

He pulled himself out of bed and poured wine for them both, while she arranged their pillows so they could lounge in bed. They snuggled under the covers, sipping wine and chatting about the differences between Ferelden and Antivan small clothes, something about which Zevran seemed well versed. They eventually drifted off to sleep, arm in arm, foreheads pressed together.

xXx

They were awakened several hours later when a butler knocked on the door to announce dinner would be served within the hour and to ask if they needed any laundry done.

"Oh Maker," Kallian cursed as she stood at the door wrapped in a sheet staring at the butler. "Everything I have needs washing."

"Leave your garments in the baskets in the closet, my lady, and I shall have a maid sent to you with some dresses to try on for this evening." He surveyed her form quickly and glanced at Zevran. "Will you require suitable attire as well, ser?"

"I shall, if you please. I am just slightly taller than the Warden." He held his hand up to indicate how much he thought this was.

The butler nodded and hurried off down the hall. Kallian closed the door and ran back to throw herself onto the bed.

"Oh, the luxury! I cannot imagine living this way all the time, Zev. Can you?"

"What, locked in a room with you all day long, with nothing better to do than make mad, passionate love, while servants wait on our every need? Of course I can imagine it and it is awakening the beast within me. You are a wicked temptress." He tried to unwrap her bed sheet.

"Oh, no! We have laundry to prepare."

"Very well, but I shall take pleasure in you again, fair Warden."

"I would be sorely disappointed if you didn't, ser." She winked at him, dragged her nails across his chest and jumped off the bed to get to work.

Groaning, Zevran pushed himself out of bed and helped her sort their laundry. Yet another thing he had never really imagined himself doing.

xXx

They made a stunning pair when they finally stepped into the great hall for dinner. Kallian had chosen to wear a dark green dress with gold embroidery along the neckline, cuffs and hem, with matching shoes, a gift from the Arlessa. Kallian had worked some of Zevran's scented oil through her hair to smooth it into shiny ringlets and her improved mood was evident in everything about her. Zevran wore a dark blue doublet with matching britches and boots, his blonde hair reflecting the candlelight that accented the room. They complemented each other quite well.

Leliana cast a knowing glance at Wynne, smiling. The mage dipped her head to the bard, acknowledging that Zevran was obviously a _good_ distraction for their Warden. She glowed. Teagan greeted the group and within minutes, Arl Eamon, Arlessa Isolde and their son Connor arrived. They were seated at the high board, while Eamon's knights were seated at tables below. Bodhan and Sandal waved from within the knights' ranks and Kallian was relieved to see them. Wine and ale was poured, and Eamon stood to propose a toast.

"My friends, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you back to Redcliffe Castle. It gives me another opportunity to thank you for what you have done for me and my family, and indeed for all of Redcliffe. To our beloved Ferelden and the Grey Warden Party. To Ferelden and the Grey!"

"To Ferelden and the Grey!" Replied a chorus of voices as everyone raised their glass.

Eamon rang a bell and servants swept into the room. They were served cheese and fruit, large capons stuffed with leeks, apples, sage and bread, roasted beef and pork with gravies, and a variety of baked pasties to choose from for dessert. There was more than enough for everyone, even the two Grey Wardens with their hearty appetites. Wine and ale flowed, the conversation was merry, Minstrels entertained the Arl's guests, and the terrors of the early morning were all but forgotten.

Eamon's knights retired early, and the merchants were quick to follow. Isolde took Connor to bed, leaving the Wardens and their companions to speak freely with Eamon and Teagan. They moved to the library, a more intimate space, and discussed how best to deal with Loghain and Queen Anora. Eamon favoured calling a Landsmeet, while attempting to undermine Loghain's support from the Chantry and the other lords and ladies of Ferelden. They would also need to see where Anora's allegiances lay. Alistair was ghostly pale for most of the meeting, as his fate as the future king of Ferelden seemed sealed.

As midnight approached, it was agreed that they would leave for Denerim as soon as possible and proceed with calling a Landsmeet. So resolved, Eamon and Teagan retired for the night and left others to amuse themselves. Sitting by the fire, they finished their drinks and began to drift off to their rooms. Zevran stood and reached out a hand to Kallian, helping her up. She looked at Alistair for a moment and turned to Zevran, putting her hand on his chest.

"Would you mind if I stayed a few minutes? You could stoke our fire, pour some wine, warm the bed…" Her hand moved down to his waist and slid into his britches, tugging at his small clothes.

Keeping his voice low, he put his lips close to Kallian's ear and whispered "I hope you will not keep me waiting, lover. You are exceedingly beautiful tonight and I think I have it in me to ravish you at least once more before the night is over." He kissed her and turned to Alistair.

"Good night, my friend." Zevran left with a nod to Kallian.

"You are troubled by this." Kallian stated plainly.

"Ha! That is the understatement of the year, you know that?" He stood and poured himself more wine and then moved to the hearth. "This was never supposed to happen; I was never supposed to take the throne. Everyone _always_ told me that, and now all of a sudden, it's 'Alistair, you _have_ to take the throne', 'Alistair, this is for the good of all Ferelden. Our future rests in your hands' and I feel sick. I would give the world to be left to my Grey Warden duties."

He lapsed into silence and Kallian thought she knew how he felt. A world of expectations had landed on her shoulders with little warning and it had nearly crushed her. She could see it in his eyes. Pouring a small amount of wine into her goblet, she stood next to him and watched the fire for a moment.

"I have come to believe that Wynne is right, that everything happens for a reason, and that Leliana isn't as crazy as I thought. The Maker may indeed have plans for us. You are a good man, Alistair. You have a strong sense of fairness and justice and want to do what is right." She turned to face him, putting her hand on his arm.

"This is not an ideal situation, I grant you, but I believe you may have a greater duty than you think. You will have support, Brother, and you can learn what it is to govern; you need not be afraid of having to do it alone. I believe you could make a good king." She paused to drink the rest of her wine and put her goblet on the hearth. "Then again, we could all die tomorrow and none of this will matter."

"Oh, very funny. Thank you for that, Kallian." Alistair laughed in spite of his misery, and clapped her on the back. "You have a way of making things seem a bit brighter, my friend. You had best take care of yourself, for I shall be quite lost without you amongst my advisors."

"Of course, my lord." She hugged him before he could object and Alistair found himself breathing in the smell of her.

"You…" Sniff, sniff. "Smell…like _Zevran_. Oh, that is just…ridiculously awesome. I need more wine."

"Right. Don't get too drunk, Alistair. I think we may wish to leave as soon as our laundry and armour is ready and I know how you hate walking in the rain when you're hung over."

"Yes, mother." He smiled weakly and raised his goblet to her.

When Kallian returned to their room, she found that Zevran had lit several candles as well as putting more logs on the fire and the room seemed to sparkle. He was on the bed, naked, golden hair, bronzed skin and well-defined muscles gleaming. Stopping at the end of the bed, Kallian slowly pulled her dress off and draped it over a nearby chair as she kicked off her shoes. She was naked beneath her dress, which aroused him. Climbing onto the bed, she crawled to him and straddled his hips.

"You really are very handsome, Zev, but I suppose you know that."

"I do, but I would much rather discuss what it is I intend to do to you this evening, my dear."

"Oh?" The feel of him hardening under her was inciting her passions.

"I seem to recall you wanted me to gag you, and I thought since I am going to gag you, I might as well tie you up, too." He quirked his eyebrow at her and held out a few pieces of rope and a strip of cloth.

"_Oh_." She crossed her wrists and held them out in front of her, a mischievous smile on her face.

_It seems there is no end to the surprises this woman has in store for me._

xXx

Kallian was dressed in a clean cotton shirt and leggings when Zevran awoke the next morning, her hair wound into a bun at the nape of her neck. Loose curls were tucked behind her ears.

"Ah, you're awake. I have something for you." Sitting down next to Zevran, she handed him two bundles, one on top of the other.

"What are these?" He asked, sitting up.

"Gifts!" Seeing the surprised look on Zevran's face, she laughed. "Open them and find out."

Upon opening the first package, he exclaimed "Gloves? You are giving me _gloves_?" He looked confused.

"They are _Dalish_, like your mother's." She replied lightly. "I thought of you the moment I found them."

They were indeed like his mother's gloves, or very close to them, and they fit. He was touched Kallian had remembered. It seemed such an inconsequential thing, and yet he saw her do this sort of thing quite a bit for the people she cared about. _Cared_ about.

Before he could say anything else, she was forcing the second package on him. He knew it was Antivan leather before he had finished unwrapping it, the smell was so familiar. And boots, no less! So like the ones he had thought of purchasing before he had left for Ferelden. Zevran pulled them on and took a few steps around the bed, which sent Kallian into a fit of giggles. He was naked, otherwise.

Walking back to Kallian with an exaggerated swagger, he laughed. "Now if only you could find me a prostitute or two, a bowl of fish chowder and a corrupt politician, I'd really feel like I was home." He looked down at his feet, flexing his toes. "And they fit as well! Marvellous."

"I found the boots in Haven and the gloves in the Brecilian Forest. I was just…waiting for the right moment to give them to you, I guess." She shrugged.

"You have been packing these boots around for…" he paused to think about it for a moment. "…months?" He sat down again and pulled the boots off, stretching out beside Kallian.

She nodded. "Lucius likes them, so be careful. I had forgotten about them for a while, to be honest. I mean, finding Alistair is King Meric's son? Finding the Urn of Sacred Ashes? Healing Arl Eamon? Pfft. That was all pretty overwhelming. As smelly as those boots were, they slipped my mind for a while." She put her head on his chest.

Zevran slipped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "No one has ever simply given me a gift before…" he whispered into her hair, thinking of the gold and silver bars she had given him a while ago. Incentive to stay, he had thought at the time, and quite unnecessary. "Why do you do this?"

"Because I _can_, and because I like making people happy."

She shrugged, looking up at Zevran. "No one has ever just…without expecting something from you in return? That is sad, Zev. I expect nothing in return."

"But if I _wanted_ to do unspeakable things to your body, mistress?" He purred into her ear.

"I _might_ let you, as long as you understand you don't _have to_ because of the boots and gloves." She kissed his throat. "It is still early. Perhaps…?"

She couldn't finish her sentence. Zevran had gathered her into a warm embrace, kissing her. "Oh, I want to. Pirate Zevran, reporting for duty. Prepare to be boarded." Kallian laughed into his mouth and surrendered.


	6. The Road to Denerim Part 1

**Author's Note:** Right then, the usual...this is Bioware's creation, not mine. I can only take credit for my characterization of Kallian and any original bits in the story line. I wanted to fill in the time between Redcliffe and Denerim, which is now proving difficult, but I figure I'll keep going. Some fluff before the drama. Oh yes...I am using Italian as Antivan, if you haven't guessed already.

August 4/10: Funny thing, the brain. I awoke in the middle of the night last week and as I was trying to get back to sleep it dawned on me that I had made an error in this chapter, when Kallian opens up to Zevran. I made it sound as though she hadn't been home since her conscription, which wouldn't be possible. After mildly obsessing over the matter, I opted to try to fix the offending bits. Not sure if it worked or not, and no doubt I will obsess over it...

* * *

**The Road to Denerim Part 1**

The journey to Denerim did not start well. Kallian became ill a few hours out of Redcliffe and suffered for several hours, refusing to let the group stop for her benefit until that evening, as planned. Zevran found himself sitting by the campfire with Alistair, waiting to hear of her condition while the others prepared their tents. The two men stood when Wynne appeared.

"Motion sickness." Wynne laughed. "Of all things that could knock her down, it is _motion sickness_. I suspect she will be this way for the duration of the trip, but I can give her something to help with the nausea."

With a smile, Wynne told Zevran the Warden was asking for him. "I have given her a draught to help her sleep, and if it hasn't taken hold yet, it will quickly enough."

"Oh, well then." Alistair mumbled. "Why don't you…" he gestured toward Kallian's tent as he turned toward Eamon's encampment. "I need something to eat. And drink."

Zevran took Wynne's hand, pressing it between his. "Thank you, my good woman." As he tried to step away, she stopped him.

"Zevran, I sense there is something else bothering Kallian. See if you can get her to open up. She needs to be sharp in the days to come, for we are certain to face both Loghain Mac Tir and Rendon Howe, very likely upon our arrival in Denerim."

With a short nod to her, he went to Kallian's tent.

It was quite spacious now that her bedroll was not surrounded by packs and pelts and armour. There was even room for Lucius, who was sprawled out beside her, smelling of wet dog and lavender, Zevran thought. Someone had risked bathing the hound. Kallian's eyes were closed, her curls splayed across the pillow, and she looked small and pale. Kneeling beside her, he simply watched her for a few minutes.

He was still conflicted where his feelings for her were concerned and he was not entirely comfortable with the fact that they had essentially been living together from the moment their affair had begun. This…whatever _this_ was…was not something he should want, never mind have. It would distract him; it could be used against him; in the end it would hurt him. Indeed, when she had fallen ill, she was all he could think of until Wynne had been able to examine her.

In spite of his reservations about his relationship with Kallian, Zevran could not help himself. He did not want to be far from her for long. She certainly appealed to his overly sexual nature. She was beautiful, an uninhibited lover, but it was more than that. She trusted him, she sought his opinion as much as anyone else's in spite of how much it annoyed Alistair, and she was generous. She desired to be with him. She...was awake and staring at him.

"Hey." She reached out to him and he took her hand. "What are you doing?"

"I was wondering if you were asleep and if I should wake you, so this is convenient. You had us worried, my dear Warden. Darkspawn, demons and assassins cannot get you, but a simple ride in the country? Tsk, tsk."

"Shut up, I feel absolutely miserable. I had never been out of the alienage until…well, I have only ever walked everywhere. This lurching back and forth, bouncing up and down…I feel sick just thinking about it."

Zevran stretched out beside Kallian and traced the lines of her tattoo. He had seen sadness in her eyes when she mentioned home, that same haunted look he had seen just a few days earlier when he had asked her how she became a Warden.

"Something else is troubling you, this I can see. What is it, bella?"

She was quiet for a moment before she nodded. "I have known for a while that we would have to go back to Denerim, but now that we are _really_ going, I...I am afraid, Zev." Her voice trailed off.

"And here I did not think you were afraid of anything." She laughed nervously at that. "Tell me what troubles you."

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Zevran and lowered her voice to a bare whisper. "We had to go to Denerim to find Brother Genitivi, you know, just before we ran into each other," she smiled faintly at that. "but I didn't go into the city then. I sent Wynne, Leliana and Sten while the rest of us camped nearby. I said it was to protect Alistair and I, but the truth was I just couldn't do it. I just wasn't ready."

She swallowed. "I am from the alienage in Denerim. I told you I killed several men." Zevran nodded. "I killed Bann Vaughan Kendalls, the Arl of Denerim's son, and his men. I did have some help, but I took responsibility to protect my cousin, Soris."

"May I ask what happened?"

She nodded and cleared her throat. "My father had arranged a marriage for me. I was to be married, to Nelaros, and my cousin Soris was to marry Valora. But Vaughan came around…" Her voice hitched and she sat up, pulling her knees to her chest.

Zevran was barely able to stop himself from reacting. He knew where this was going, it was all too familiar a tale, and it infuriated him.

"He kidnapped me, Shianni, Valora and two of our friends and had us taken back to his estate where he intended to have his way with us. They killed Nola. Soris and Nelaros attempted a rescue, but they…they killed Nelaros, too. Soris and I found the others, but not before Vaughan had beaten and…_humiliated_ Shianni. If only I hadn't wasted time trying to reason with those bastards, I might have been able to…He tried to bribe me, forty s-sovereigns to walk away f-from Shianni and the others."

She finally broke down into heart-wrenching sobs, her whole body shaking. Zevran sat up, gathering her in his arms, and held her. He was vaguely aware of a commotion outside; Alistair's voice competed with Kallian's sobs. He could hear the Warden asking "What has he done to her?" _Foolish man_. Wynne would take care of Alistair. Zevran held Kallian until she cried herself to sleep. Laying her down again, he made sure she was bundled up in her blankets and dried her face with his sleeve. Sitting back, he watched her sleep.

Lucius had been watching this scene unfold and whined slightly as Zevran moved to leave the tent.

"Lucius, my friend. Our mistress is distressed, but we shall take care of her, yes? Stay close to her." As if to answer Zevran, the dog pulled himself closer to Kallian, his tail thumping on the ground.

Zevran had barely gotten himself out of the tent when Alistair grabbed him by the front of his tunic and pulled him up. "What did you do?" He growled.

"I comforted her when she most needed comforting. What did _you_ do?" His normally calm features were pinched with anger.

Wynne was at their side, pulling them away from Kallian's tent. "Stop this," she hissed. "This will do no one any good. Alistair, let him _go_."

Alistair did as she asked, pushing Zevran away so the elf stumbled and nearly fell. Leliana reached out to steady him and Zevran stood, smoothing his clothes. He knew he should leave it at that, take the high road, but he could not.

"Perhaps if you were more a man and less a selfish child, she would have confided in you."

He would not have credited Alistair with being so quick, given the man's muscular bulk, and never would have imagined the Warden might have caught him off guard, but that he did. Alistair punched Zevran, hitting the left side of his jaw. He stumbled, but regained his composure quickly. Sten restrained Alistair and pulled him away from the fire. Leliana fussed over Zevran, steering him to the Arl's encampment to get some food.

xXx

When Kallian pulled herself out of her tent the next morning, she found the entire party sitting around the campfire. She would have been none the wiser as to the events of the previous evening, save for three things. Morrigan had never, in the entire time she'd been with the Wardens, sat at the campfire with them, and she was the only one at the fire this morning who was smiling. Those two oddities, combined with the bruise on Zevran's jaw, told her something was amiss.

"What is going on?" When she didn't get an immediate response, she began to tap her foot. "Zevran, what happened?" She demanded, jutting her chin toward his face.

"Oh, it is nothing, my dear Warden. I was clumsy and I tripped and fell," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Into Alistair's _fist_." Morrigan stated with just a small amount of glee. Leliana let out a little squeak and jabbed a finger into Morrigan's arm, as if to admonish her for deliberately stirring up trouble.

"You bitch," Alistair mumbled.

"I believe we are leaving soon. I should pack." Morrigan said sweetly, retreating to her tent.

"You know what?" Kallian asked of no one in particular, throwing her hands in the air. "I don't need this. I need something to eat and I am parched. I'll be over there. With the adults. Make sure you're ready to decamp." She turned on her heel and left to find food, Leliana and Wynne close behind.

xXx

Having received what she considered to be a reasonably accurate account of what had happened between Alistair and Zevran, Kallian had a trencher of porridge and drank as much water as she could stomach before she looked for Alistair. She found him with Eamon and Teagan and, smiling as sweetly as possible, ask for a moment of his time. As they walked to the edge of the clearing, the two bothers exchanged glances. Word of last night's fight had gotten around and several knights were already making bets on whether or not there would be a duel to settle the matter and who would win.

"What in the Maker's name were you thinking attacking Zevran?" Kallian demanded, arms folded over her chest, a steel-clad foot tapping. Alistair had never seen her so angry, not with him at any rate. This couldn't end well.

Alistair opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "You _weren't _thinking. 'I am your man, without reservation, this I swear.' You were _there_, Alistair, you heard him. After all this time, after he has fought by our side and saved us both on occasion, you still think he's a danger to me?"

"He might be. Maybe he was lying." Alistair pouted, drawing lines in the dirt with his boot.

"Oh, grow up. He could have killed me a thousand times over by now if he wanted to. He _means_ something to me, Alistair. Were you thinking about me when you attacked him?"

"Well, yes! You were crying, really _crying_, like...well...I was concerned that maybe..."

"If you had asked him what was going on, instead of attacking him he might have told you."

"What was going on?"

"Oh no you don't. Until you apologize to Zevran, I am not talking to you." She scanned the scene around her, spotted Zevran pulling her bed roll out of her tent and left Alistair, ignoring his protests.

Kallian knelt down beside Zevran and looked at his jaw. "How is that today?"

He shrugged. "He is almost as good with his fists as he is with his sword and shield, but I am fine. I am sorry I baited him. I doubt he would have hit me otherwise. And how are you?"

"I am angry and I feel sick and I hate that we have to do this for however long it takes to get to Denerim, but thank you for the apology." She paused for a moment. "Zev? I need you to do something for me. I need you to apologize to Alistair. Please."

Zevran stiffened and turned to look at her, his eyes searching her face. He wanted to say no but could see that she was determined. "Very well, mia cara."

"Grazie, mio amante." The words rolled off her tongue – thank you, my lover – not perfect, but good enough, and he was taken aback.

She laughed at his expression. "Eamon has quite an extensive library and was more than willing to let me borrow an Antivan phrase book. Why don't you let me finish up here while you find Alistair? Quanto prima tanto meglio, is that it? The sooner the better? I would like to have this resolved before we leave."

He couldn't help laughing. "I see I shall have to be careful when challenging you to do something. You are a clever woman, bellissima."

xXx

Zevran found Alistair sitting with some of Eamon's knights. Having resolved to gain the upper hand, he dispensed with pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Alistair, I must apologize for my behaviour last night. I insulted you, pushing you to do something you would not have done otherwise, and I regret this. I am sorry."

The knights exchanged glances. None of them had imagined _this_ outcome, but clearly there would be no duel.

Alistair stood up. "I…ah…I, too, behaved inappropriately. If I had not attacked you…well, I started it and I apologize."

They stood looking at each other for a moment before Alistair stuck his hand out. "We both want what's best for Kallian."

"Indeed, we do." Zevran shook Alistair's hand, silently wondering what they each thought was best for Kallian. "Before we make her angrier, we should prepare to leave, yes?"

"You have my support there."

xXx

Zevran suggested they try riding a horse that day. Armed with a potion from Wynne to ease any nausea she might experience, she agreed. When the group's wagons and carriages were loaded, Kallian and Zevran were equipped with a horse. She sat in front of Zevran, who gave her the reins and provided her with a quick lesson on how to sit on and ride a horse as they departed.

"To move forward, you simply squeeze the beast a bit with your legs, like this." She felt his legs tense slightly and their horse began walking. "If you want to run, you squeeze harder. Some riders will kick their mounts, but I find that is not necessary, especially if one is being chased by darkspawn, for instance. Horses are not stupid animals.

"You use the reigns to move the horse left or right, like this." He took her hands and directed the horse to the left, then right. "And when you want to stop, you pull the reigns back like this." The horse stopped.

"So? What do you think?"

Kallian glanced about them quickly and twisted in the saddle, whispering to Zevran. "Do women ride in normal clothing, dresses and the like?"

"Certainly, although most women would not ride this way. They would ride in a saddle that would allow them to sit with both legs draped over one side of the horse. Because of their skirts," he added when she looked confused. "It would be quite unseemly for a woman to ride with her skirts pulled up around her thighs. Terribly sad, but true. Why do you ask?"

"This creates a somewhat...pleasant sensation between my legs." She winked at him.

"Ah, mia cara, the things you say to me!" He laughed softly into her ear. "Unfortunately, that will not last for long, and then you shall probably go quite numb. If this happens, and I am sure it will, we shall have to massage the area to bring back circulation."

"You are terrible, do you know that?"

"I do. Now, you should put your feet in the stirrups, on top of mine. This will allow you to lift yourself off the horse while you are riding."

"Why would I want to do that?"

Rather than answer her, Zevran encouraged their mount to move forward at a quicker pace than before and Kallian was bouncing up and down. She pulled sharply on the reigns to stop the horse and tried to ignore the chuckles of their companions and the few knights who were loitering about watching them.

"Okay, okay, point taken. I think we can be on our way." As a precaution, she quickly swallowed the potion Wynne had given her.


	7. The Road to Denerim Part 2

**Author's Note**: Still don't own it, sadly, but am having fun playing with it. Kudos to Bioware, who graciously provided quite a bit of dialog in this chapter. Your comments are most appreciated.

* * *

**The Road to Denerim Part 2**

The second day of travel was much easier on Kallian, although she didn't know if it was due to Wynne's potion or the horse or the fact that she was able to spend the day in Zevran's arms. Having him close, teasing her with kisses to her neck or his warm breath on her ear, distracted her from thoughts of Denerim. He sent her into fits of giggles throughout the day with inappropriate suggestions and sexual advances. It was clearly grating on Alistair's nerves and Morrigan found herself sympathising with the fool for once, but the pair's playful demeanour had a good affect on the rest of the party.

The mood around the campfire that night was much lighter than the night before. They had bathed in the river and changed into simple clothing, eaten a good meal and were now seated by the fire, relaxing as the day waned. Kallian asked Leliana to tell her a story, but was soon complaining that she liked a _happy_ endings, not the tragic ending she knew was coming. Wynne asked Kallian if she had heard the Warden legends from days gone by and offered to share them with the young elf.

"Are there griffons?" Kallian asked eagerly, batting her eyelashes at Wynne.

"Yes, there are griffons," the elderly mage responded dryly, sounding as though she already regretted her offer.

Kallian pestered Wynne further, interrupting the story every now and then with "Griffons?" until the mage finally gave up, muttering "It's like talking to a _child_."

Kallian then turned her attentions to Sten and began asking the Qun what he liked about Ferelden and Zevran grinned. _That may or may not end well._

From his left, Zevran heard Oghren mutter "Figures she'd go for an elf."

"She who?" He asked, turning to face the dwarf.

"You and the Warden. We all know what's going on _there_." Oghren waved his flask of ale in Kallian's direction.

"Oh? Does that make you jealous, my stout little friend?" Zevran asked as he leaned back against a log and stared up at the stars.

"Me? Ha! Last thing I need is another woman in my life." He pulled on his seemingly bottomless flask of ale.

"One wife was enough for you, was she?"

"Branka was only slightly more woman than I am. Bristle-chinned poetess." He belched loudly, drawing a look of disgust from Wynne.

"Shocking that our fair Grey Warden didn't choose you instead." Zevran chuckled. He was beginning to like this foul smelling dwarf they had picked up in Orzammar.

"Wonders never cease," Oghren mumbled before falling over, out cold.

Zevran caught Kallian watching them from across the fire and raised his hands questioningly. She shrugged, as if to say 'leave him', and tilted her head toward their tent as she headed in that direction. The others were beginning to drift away from the fire, calling out 'good night' to each other. He capped Oghren's flask and got up to join Kallian.

In the dying firelight that illuminated their tent, he could see she was lying on her belly in the center of a bed of wolf pelts, naked, her dress tossed across a pack behind her. Resting her chin in her hands, she smiled up at him and a warmth crept throughout his body. She got to her knees and held her hands out to him. Taking his boots off, he knelt before her and let her remove his tunic. Tossing it aside, she pressed her body to his and kissed him deeply.

"I am hungry for you, Zev," she whispered breathlessly as she pulled his leggings down. "I hated having you so close all day, not being able to touch you the way I would wish."

He felt the same way and had wanted to prolong this sweet torture, but the smell of her and the feel of her body against his was enough to drive him mad and he had to have her, now. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, his erection sliding easily into her wet and inviting body. Everything about her came into sharp focus – the feel of her body wrapped around his, the sharp intake of her breath as he moved within her, the grip of her hands on his shoulders as their bodies became one, the glazed look in her eyes – and his desire for her nearly overwhelmed him.

Kallian put her lips to Zevran's ear, her warm breath sending shivers down his spine. "We should try to be quiet with the Arl and his family here," she whispered as she rocked her hips back and forth.

Zevran groaned into her bosom. "I can make no promises, my dear."

xXx

As they prepared to decamp the following morning, Eamon sent a group of four soldiers ahead to prepare the Arl's staff for their arrival. One was to return to meet the remaining party on the road to advise them of any issues they may face upon arrival. Eamon was certain Loghain would confront them as soon as possible and would likely have someone watching the West Road for signs of their approach, and he wanted to be prepared.

The knowledge that their efforts over the last eight months were culminating seemed to have a discomfiting effect on the Grey Wardens, and both slipped into quiet reflection. Alistair barely spoke, which was quite unusual for him, and spent the better part of the ride examining the back of his horse's head. The possibility of becoming king was looming ever larger on the horizon, just as Denerim was, and this reality weighed heavily on his mind. Kallian's mood was far more subdued than it had been the previous evening and she seemed to be somewhere else entirely. Zevran held her while they rode, but he may as well have held a training dummy as quiet as she was. Every now and then she would shift in the saddle or shudder slightly as though a chill had run down her back, and she seemed quite preoccupied. He eventually took the reigns from her.

Kallian's mind wandered through myriad thoughts, things she'd feared to think of before now, primarily returning home. What awaited her, what may have changed, what retribution may have been wrought on the alienage after she'd left, and what her father would think of her, were but a few of the questions that ran through her mind. That last struck her as mildly amusing, though she couldn't laugh at it. She'd left a marriageable young virgin, a child, and was returning…_well, that will be an interesting conversation._ Surely he would be proud of her. She remembered hearing Alistair yelling "We do good work!" after they'd successfully dispatched a group of darkspawn. _We do good work, but at what cost?_ She looked at her hands, imagining them covered in blood. _We do what we have to do,_ she told herself. _As an assassin had told me, death happens._

As she tried to push those thoughts out of her mind, others rushed in to take their place. Someone may force a confrontation over their supposed crimes at Ostagar, or the murders she'd committed in self defence. If Loghain had outlawed the Wardens, as rumour had it, could they protect her from being arrested for Vaughan Urien's death? What if they failed at the Landsmeet, what if the Crows came after them again, what if…_what if, what if, what if_. And there was Zevran.

She worried for him, for them both. She had awoken that morning and watched him as he slept. In the months they'd travelled together, before they had started sharing a bed, she had hardly known him to sleep. On those rare moments when she did catch him napping by the campfire at night, he never looked truly relaxed. He always seemed…_ready_. This morning, he looked relaxed and unaware that she watched him. It was then that she had understood his reluctance to love, had truly heard Wynne's warning, and had been at odds with herself. Love _was_ a distraction. One she did not feel she had the strength to turn away, not when it…_he_…had come to mean so much to her.

He was conflicted; she could see it in his eyes every now and then, and so she was as well. She had come to dare hope that if they somehow manage to survive to see this insane quest to its desired conclusion, they could be together, have that damn happy ending she loved so much. But she had not stopped to think of what he might want, or feel safe _doing_. With his training, even if he did love her, he could very well steel himself against the pain of leaving her and go, if he felt he had to. She did not want to lose him, yet all she wanted for him was his freedom, which could very well mean losing him. _Ironic_.

Kallian wanted to stick her fingers in her ears and sing at the top of her lungs to drown out her own thoughts, and first became angry knowing that it wouldn't work and then frustrated with herself for being so childish. She found herself wondering why it was that she hadn't sensed any darkspawn since the attack before they'd arrived at Redcliffe, which then turned her thoughts toward their impending battle with the arch demon. _LALALALALALALALALA!_

xXx

It was early afternoon when Eamon's soldier met them on the road. He had stopped long enough to change horses and ask for news before turning back. The estate was being prepared and Loghain was indeed watching for signs of their arrival.

"Thank you, ser. Rest your horse and have some food and drink." Eamon waved the soldier toward the wagons at the back of the procession.

"May the Maker watch over us all," he said grimly before he waved the group back into motion.

xXx

They had barely been in the estate for ten minutes, the servants carting their equipment to their rooms, when Loghain, Rendon and Ser Cauthrien arrived, demanding to see Eamon. Zevran slipped into an alcove in the hallway as the others gathered in the great hall to accept the regent, thinking it best he remain out of sight.

Eamon turned to face his newly arrived guests. "Loghain, this is an…honour, that the regent would find time to greet me personally."

"How could I not welcome a man so important as to call every lord in Ferelden away from his estates while a Blight claws at our lands?" Loghain pulled his gauntlets off and cast a cold look at the assembled group, his eyes settling on Alistair and Kallian, who stood by Eamon's side.

"The Blight is why I'm here," Eamon said coolly. "With Cailan dead, Ferelden must have a king to lead it against the darkspawn."

"Ferelden has a strong leader – its Queen. And I lead her armies."

Kallian found his arrogance unbearable. "Considering Ostagar, perhaps we need a better general," she said flatly.

Loghain levelled his gaze at her and took a step forward. "Ah yes, the Grey Warden recruit. I thought we might meet again. You have my sympathies on what happened to your order. It is unfortunate that they chose to turn against Ferelden."

She stiffened, standing as tall as she could, but still not reaching his shoulders. "I do not accept the sympathies of deserters and regicides."

Loghain advanced on her until he was inches away, looking down at her so that she had to step back to look up at him, stabbing the air between them with his forefinger. "You should curb your tongue. This is _my_ city, and no safe place to speak treason. _For anyone_." He turned toward Eamon.

"There is talk your illness left you feeble, Eamon. Some worry you may no longer be fit to advise Ferelden."

Eamon's calm exterior crumbled for an instant as he snorted at the suggestion. "Illness? Why not call your poison by its true name? Not everyone at the Landsmeet will cast aside their loyalties as easily as you and these…sycophants." He waved his hand toward Howe and Ser Cauthrien.

Loghain gave a short laugh. "How long you've been gone from court, Eamon! Don't you recognize Rendon Howe, Arl of Amaranthine and Teryn of Highever?"

"And current Arl of Denerim, after Urien's unfortunate fate at Ostagar. Truly, it is an embarrassment of riches." Rendon interjected.

"'Tis a lot of titles for one man to have," Kallian snapped.

Ser Cauthrien frowned. "Don't interrupt, churl. Your betters are talking."

Loghain waved it off. "Enough, Cauthrien, this is not the time or place. I had hoped to talk you down from this rash course, Eamon. Our people are frightened, our king is dead, our land is under siege. We must be united now, if we are to endure this crisis. Your own sister, Queen Rowan, fought tirelessly to see Ferelden restored. Would you see her work destroyed? You divide our nation and weaken our efforts against the Blight with your selfish ambitions to the throne."

Kallian found herself understanding how it was that people followed this man. He put on a good show, sounded and looked compelling and confident, was proud. He was older, in his early fifties perhaps, but his dark hair was peppered with just a smattering of grey, and he was handsome in a rugged and weathered way. His eyes, however, cold and calculating, told a different story entirely. She had not seen this when she had spoken to him at Ostagar.

"If you truly want to save this land, stand with us." Ever optimistic, Kallian thought it worth an effort to try to reach a peaceful outcome.

Loghain's curt laugh confirmed it was a wasted effort. "I should put my faith in untried foreign hands? Do you think I'm blind? Cailan depended on the Grey Wardens' prowess against the darkspawn and look how well that ended. Let us speak of reality rather than tall tales. Stories will not save us."

Alistair's armour creaked as he clenched his fists and Kallian put her hand on his arm to calm him. Eamon was speaking.

"I cannot forgive what you have done, Loghain. Perhaps the Maker can, but not I. Our people deserve a king of the Theirin bloodline. Alistair will be the one to lead us to victory in this Blight."

Kallian thought Alistair trembled just a bit as he mumbled "Oh, is that all I have to do? No pressure."

Loghain's "The Emperor of Orlais also thought I could not bring him down. Expect no more mercy than I showed him. There is nothing I would not do for my homeland."

Turning on his heel with a quick gesture to Howe and Cauthrien, Loghain stomped out of the room, his companions following behind. Pausing momentarily in the hallway, out of ear shot from the household, Loghain gripped Howe's arm.

"Find your Crow. I want this finished," he hissed as they continued out into the courtyard. Zevran separated from the shadows and turned to the great hall.

Eamon sighed. "Well, that was…bracing. I did not expect Loghain to show himself _quite_ so soon. I suppose…Kallian, are you all right?"

Everyone turned to follow his gaze. Kallian had moved away from the rest of the group and was propped up against a wall, arms wrapped around herself, her face pale.

Alistair went to her side. "What is it? Are you ill?"

She looked from him, to the rest of the group, to Zevran who had reappeared and was watching from the doorway, and back to Alistair. Suddenly, it seemed overwhelming and she was tired. She wanted a drink, maybe several.

"Yes! Aren't you? Maker help me," she snapped. "I am so sodding sick and tired of this halla shyte..." Remembering where she was and the company she kept, she took a deep breath and composed herself.

Returning to Eamon's side, she hung her head, half expecting him to reprimand her. "I apologize, my lord. I am letting exhaustion get the better of me. What do we do now?"

Eamon smiled and began leading her toward the hallway, while beckoning the others to follow. "We need eyes and ears in the city. Loghain has been here for months. The root of all his schemes must begin here. The sooner we find them, the better we can turn them to our advantage. Go, have a look around and see what you can turn up. Better yet, find the nobles who have arrived for the Landsmeet. Test the waters, see how many will support us. When you're ready to talk strategy, come upstairs to my sitting room. We can lay out our plans for the Landsmeet then.

"It has been a long day. I think it would be best if we retired. Travel and entertaining our unexpected visitors has worn us down. Hot water has been taken to the guest rooms and food and drink shall be brought to you." He was waving to a servant in the hall who hurried toward them. "I shall see you on the morrow." Patting Kallian's hand, he turned with the young serving woman and began issuing instructions as they departed, Teagan trailing behind them.

Leliana paused to embrace Kallian and say good night before she departed, pulling Alistair along behind her. The others followed, slowly, offering words of encouragement or reaching out to grasp Kallian's shoulder. Wynne asked the young rouge if she was going to be all right before disappearing to the upper level of the estate, not really believing the positive response she'd been given. When they were finally alone, Zevran put his arm around Kallian's shoulders. "Shall we?"

They had been given a room on the second floor at the back of the estate, looking toward the Drakon River. A tub near the fireplace was filled with steaming water and extra buckets of water had been set near the fire to stay warm. Zevran pulled a vial of scented oil from one of his packs and added some to their bath, instructing Kallian to undress behind the privacy screen in the corner of the room. A servant arrived with a platter of food and a bottle of wine and Zevran inspected the bottle and tested its contents, then the food. Satisfied nothing was poisoned, he filled two goblets with wine.

"Into the tub, my dear," he commanded. She appeared, her hair knotted at the base of her neck, and settled into the hot water with a sigh, taking a goblet from him.

Drinking deeply, she watched as Zevran placed the platter of bread, cheese, half a chicken and sliced beef on a table near the tub. He stripped naked and climbed into the tub behind her, sipping some wine. After they relaxed in silence for a few minutes, he fed her bits of bread and cheese and poured more wine. He washed her gently, and then turned the soap and cloth on himself. They rinsed off, climbed out of the tub and wrapped themselves in towels that had been on racks near the fire.

Kallian curled up in an armchair by the fire, her goblet in hand, absentmindedly nibbling on chicken as her eyes stared through the flames. Zevran gave her a few minutes to snap out of it, but when she didn't he sat at her feet.

"Mia cara, what is it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's just…I…" He was looking up at her with so much concern in his eyes, it broke her heart to think they might ever be parted. _If that is how it is to be, it shall be because you wish it so, Zevran Arainai; I'll not do it._

"Make love to me, Zev."

"What?" He asked as he rose to press his lips to hers. "But I'm not even drunk yet!"


	8. Consequences

**Author's Note:** First, the obligatory thanks to Bioware for DA:O. You will note I play with more of their dialog here. I have inserted my first 'Easter egg' and challenge readers to find and explain it. Reviews are most welcome, even if they are critical of my work!

* * *

**Consequences**

Kallian found herself sitting at the kitchen table before first light the next morning, trying to eat a trencher of porridge the cook had insisted on preparing for her. Alistair found her sitting with her feet on the bench, chin on her knees, with her hands wrapped around a cup of tea, staring across the table into the fireplace. He rubbed his eyes and sat down next to her, his long legs stretched out.

"Feeling better?"

"Mmm."

"Me neither." He sighed.

"Ah…I need to tell you something, something that has been weighing heavily on me for some time now." She sipped her tea, waiting for a wise crack from him.

Alistair did not disappoint, although the attempt was half-hearted. "Don't tell me. You ate all my cheese?"

"Ha. No. Did Duncan tell you how he recruited me?"

"Ah, nnnooo, that never came up. And then…" He waved his hand at nothing in particular.

"Yeah. Well, he conscripted me to save me from being arrested for murder. I had just killed several men, including Bann Vaughan Kendalls, to save myself and others from a night of abuse at their hands, you see." She left out the more painful details, but was surprised at how easy it was to say, all the same.

He was staring at her. "Wow. I mean…huh." Something came to him. "Wait, in the Gauntlet, you spoke to someone named Shianni."

Kallian's breath hitched in her chest and she nodded, sipping her tea before speaking. "My cousin was raped, but we did not tell anyone. She thought it would change how other people treated her, and I had to respect that."

"Of course. Ah, were you…" he asked softly.

"No, but I was beaten, unconscious." She put her mug down and wrapped her arms around her legs, clearing her throat. "I have been concerned that my return here would not go unnoticed for that reason, on top of being a Warden, of course, since every man, woman, child and dog seem to know we are Wardens, and I thought you should know." She ran out of breath.

Alistair nodded. "Well, thanks. Ah…are you okay? I mean, I know I am a little late with this conversation, but…are you?"

Kallian shrugged. "I really wanted to pretend it never happened, to never talk about it, but…here I am. And the funny thing is now that I _am_ here I think the thing I am most concerned about is seeing my father."

"Oh?"

"I was a marriageable virgin when he saw me last." she laughed. "You think I would be more concerned about being arrested and hanged, right?"

The cook had returned and placed tea and porridge out for Alistair. He thanked her and waited for her to leave before turning to Kallian again.

"May I ask you a question? A _personal_ question?"

She nodded.

"Is he good to you? Are you happy?"

She laughed lightly, not needing to know who 'he' was. "Yes, he is. What sort of question is _that_? 'No, Alistair, he beats me every night.'" Seeing the offended look on his face, she shook her head.

"I jest! I am sorry and I know what you mean, that you ask because you care for me. He is, truly. I think we are good for each other and I draw strength from his presence. It is a strange thing…" She stopped herself short.

"What?"

Kallian winced. "Well, I do not mean to offend. It is a strange thing, to have that kind of connection with someone."

Alistair gave her a slightly pained look. "Yes, well…ah, so you… are happy. _Good to know_. And does he…"

"Does he…have a pair of dancing shoes? Does he…wear sock garters?" She looked at Alistair with as blank an expression as she could manage. "I can tell you he _has_ licked a few lamp posts in winter."

He blinked at her for a moment and then they both broke into laughter, remembering their awkward fireside discussion regarding their virginity. They laughed a bit too long and too loudly, perhaps, until their eyes watered, but it felt good. Alistair wiped his eyes and dropped his hand on Kallian's shoulder.

"Thank you, I really needed that."

Kallian smiled. "To answer your question, I do not know for certain, and perhaps it is too soon to know these things, but I think maybe he does feel the same way as I do. He is a man of contradictions and complications, with a past full of pain and sorrow and regret, and I suppose he needs to put that behind him and trust in us. I hope he can, that he wants to." She began chewing on her lip.

"He would be a fool not to, Kallian. He would be a fool."

"Thanks."

Alistair nudged her gently with his shoulder, nearly knocking her off her perch. She nudged him back, not at all gently, and thought she might have to see Wynne after she had eaten to make sure she hadn't fractured anything. They ate their porridge and drank their tea in silence while the cook and her assistants prepared the morning meal for the rest of the Arl's household.

xXx

Zevran retreated from the hallway outside the kitchen as they laughed, not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation. He should not have eavesdropped in the first place, and he felt guilty about having done so. _I have not felt guilty for a long time_. The word 'virgin' had stopped him, Kallian's delightful laugh had distracted him, and then the cook had come into the hall. He had slipped behind a tapestry, able to hear the rest of their conversation. He remembered overhearing their original lamp post conversation…Funny, that.

_She thinks we have a connection; she draws strength from my presence…_

xXx

When they had all broken their fast, Kallian called a Warden's meeting, or campfire chat, as she had named it. They used the fireplace in the Arl's library as their campfire. She wanted to go over their preparations for the days to come. Once they had all arrived, she cleared her throat and got started.

"We need to keep collecting materials and coin for our allies, while keeping our own needs in mind. Wynne, Morrigan, we have a pretty significant collection of lyrium dust and enough money to get you going on another large batch of potent potions, so please start working on that. Anything and everything we have that can be enchanted, and all runes to inflict cold and electrical damage, and damage to darkspawn, need to be brought forward so we can decide how best to distribute it amongst us. We should also re-evaluate our collection of accessories, armour, gah. _Everything_."

Looking around the room, she laughed. "As if I really need to say any of this, right? You know the drill. Get your armour and weapons ready for battle, be sharp and look your best. And yes, we will be visiting our Denerim contacts for the Blackstone Irregulars, the Mage's Collective, the Chantry and looking for anyone else with work, because we need the money. We will need to buy or make poultices, potions, and so forth, hence the need for money. I want us to have a good stock of soul rot coating and bombs, freeze and shock bombs, that sort of thing. Zev, I would appreciate it if you could work on those. Alistair, you wanted to visit your sister, and you said she lived near the market. I want to take some drake scale to Master Wade to see what he can do with it, so two birds with one stone, right?"

"Right."

"Well, you're with me, along with Wynne and Leliana. Everyone else, stick close and do what you need to do." She stood there with her hands on her hips for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Okay, let's go."

Zevran stopped her at the main entrance to the estate. "Mia cara, a moment please."

"Of course, what is it, Zev?"

Ignoring their companions, he pulled her into as tight an embrace as her armour would allow, and kissed her deeply. "Be careful," he whispered into her ear. Allowing his lips to linger there, knowing the sensation would arouse her, he sighed. They had practiced some Antivan and she was proving herself a quick study with the aid of the phrase book, and he used that to his advantage given the mixed company.

"Rinvii rapidamente a me, alla mia cara donna e faccia attenzione." _Return to me quickly, my dear woman, and be careful._

She blushed, but an undercurrent of concern rippled through her. "Naturalmente, Zev, non si preoccupi." _Of course, do not worry_.

xXx

They had stepped out of the Arl's courtyard and found themselves looking across the central market area toward Wade's Emporium and decided that was as good a place as any to start. After a somewhat amusing encounter with Herren and Wade, Kallian had arranged to purchase a set of Wade's Superior Drakeskin Armour.

Alistair had became overly nervous and twitchy as they left Wade's, realizing his sister's home was right next door, and after some dithering, he agreed to speak to her if Kallian would go in with him. They had been inside for no more than ten minutes when Alistair had come back out, stone faced, and kept walking. Kallian followed him, having to run to keep up. When Leliana and Wynne caught up with them, Alistair had walked himself into a dead end and was leaning up against a wall.

"Alistair, what were you expecting? I'm sorry, but you have to realize that everyone is just out for themselves. Well, not _all_ people, but most."

"I don't want to talk about this right now." He ran his hand over his short-cropped hair. The disappointment in his voice angered her. _Damn that Goldanna for being such a money-grubbing bitch and not being happy to have a brother as wonderful as Alistair._

"Hey, you're from the alienage. Do you want to visit?" He seemed quite tired.

Kallian thought her porridge might make a reappearance, but she was nodding. The stairs to the bridge over the Drakon to the alienage were right around the corner. _It would be silly _not_ to go visit_, she thought, feeling just a little bit unhinged. They did not get very far.

A gate blocked access to the alienage. The guard explained that there had been riots several months ago, 'after that poor Vaughan was so viciously murdered in his own home', and then there had been the plague, which continued to be a threat to this day. On and on he had droned, or so it seemed to Kallian. She went cold, she felt dull and indeed the colour had drained right out of her face. Riots? What had she done? What had happened to Shianni, Soris, her father? Her mind reeled with fear and guilt and anger and she turned on her heels to return to Eamon's estate.

As Kallian entered the busy courtyard, she pulled a pair of short swords off an armoury rack and launched herself, screaming, at an attack dummy with such ferocity that soldiers from all corners of the yard stopped what they were doing to see what was happening. In a matter of mere minutes, she had shredded not only the dummy, but also the stand for it, in a dizzying display of moves that had her whirling around the thing so quickly it was difficult to _see_ her, and then she collapsed, panting and sobbing, while bits of stuffing, wood and canvas fell to the ground around her.

Pausing only briefly, Alistair stooped to pick her up, cradling her in his arms. "I've got you, Sister, it's okay." Turning, he started to issue orders.

"Leliana, please visit our various contacts here to collect on finished business and see if there are any other jobs. I am taking Kallian back to her room. Wynne, I might need you, but if not you can help Morrigan with the potions. I think Kallian maybe needs to take a day to rest up."

He carried Kallian into the estate's main entrance with Wynne at his heels, leaving Leliana standing by herself wondering what had possessed her friends.

xXx

"Have you seen Zevran? I need to find Zev. Zev?" Alistair asked everyone he saw as he headed to the second floor. _Where would he be if he were making poisons and bombs?_

They met Zevran in the hallway, just outside their rooms. He had been sorting through their collection of vials and flasks when he saw Alistair striding toward him, a sobbing Kallian in his arms.

"What happened?" He asked as he opened the door to their room and stood back to allow Alistair and Wynne to enter.

Wynne shrugged, watching Alistair lay Kallian down. "I do not know. Alistair?"

The warrior turned as Zevran sat by Kallian and told him what they had learned about the alienage and how she had reacted. The assassin's face softened as he gathered Kallian in his arms.

"Wynne, why don't we leave them? I'll explain. Zev, if you need anything, we'll be around." Alistair steered Wynne out of the room and closed the door behind him. "How would you like a cup of tea?"

Zevran brushed hair back from Kallian's face, drying her eyes with a kerchief. "My dear Warden, why do you blame yourself for this? You know you had no choice."

"But I did," she whispered hoarsely. "There is always a choice. We could have let them have their way with us, they would have let us go and everyone else would have been fine."

Zevran winced. "And if you had done that, you would forever been wishing that you had fought your way free. You would not be the woman you are today, mia cara, I know this. I have seen what rape can do to a person. Besides, you do not know if they would have freed you. They may have kept you for days and may still have killed you." He could not bear to think on it further and stood up, shaking his head firmly.

"_No_, you will not entertain these thoughts anymore. As hard as it may be for you, you must not allow your mind wander down this path any longer. Now come, you should refresh yourself. You and I shall spar in the courtyard for a while and then we shall have something to eat, yes?"

He held out his hands to her and after a moment she pulled herself up off the bed. "Thank you, Zev. I…thank you."

Zevran pulled her into an embrace and held her tightly, breathing in the scent of her hair, before kissing her and leading her to a basin of cold water near their bath. "Think nothing of it, bella."

He took a wash cloth and dipped it into the water, ringing it out and handing it to her so she could wash her face. "And now we shall see who is the better duellist, yes?"

Putting a smile on her face, Kallian nodded. "We shall."


	9. A Day at the Market

**Author's Note:** Thank you, Bioware, for DAO, yadda yadda ya. I have decided, however, that Alistair didn't really toughen up much in the game beyond being more accepting of being king, so I thought I'd try to give him some more umph here. The Easter egg? Campfire (chat). NCIS, Tony DiNozzo. Reviews are always welcome!

* * *

**A Day at the Market**

Zevran had endeavoured to keep her as occupied as possible after her breakdown. He sparred and trained with her for hours and had spent part of the afternoon instructing her in the preparation of poisons and bombs while he replenished their stock. Kallian was surprised to learn he had arranged to have dinner brought to their room and had a bath drawn for them, which he scented with lavender oil. Afterward, in the warm glow of the fire and a bottle of Antiva wine from the Arl's cellar, he pampered her with a massage. This led to some extremely gratifying sex and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Given how her day had ended, she should have awoken in a better mood than she did. Kallian had slept restlessly, but this was nothing unusual. She had been a bit drunk on wine and had a slight headache to show for it, but that could be solved easily with a quick trip to one of her packs for a potion. Something was definitely bothering her, and she felt rather irritable. Groaning, she climbed out of bed and prepared to face the day.

Zevran could tell she was in a foul mood when she awoke. She was restless, sighing and groaning before finally slipping out from under the covers. He knew it would be difficult to talk her into staying at the estate, but he would have to try. If the Crows were coming, they would find her easily in this frame of mind. She would be distracted. He waited for a few minutes after Kallian slipped out of their room before he climbed out of bed himself.

She was determined to stay on task with their preparations and asked Sten, Oghren and Zevran to ensure their collection of armour was repaired, polished and properly arranged on racks. When this was done, they were to focus on weaponry. Morrigan would continue making potent lyrium potions; Lucius was free to roam the property with the exception of the kitchen and larder; Kallian was to run errands with Alistair, Leliana and Wynne, and try to track down some of the nobles who had arrived for the Landsmeet.

Zevran had argued with her about this, wanting her to stay at the estate for the day, suggesting she send someone else in her place. Something was bothering him, she could sense it, but he was reluctant to explain himself to her and she suddenly became quite annoyed. She thought she was feeling strangely moody for someone who had had a very romantic evening with this very handsome man, and then she lost her temper.

"Enough, Zevran. This isn't a discussion. Just do as I say." She snapped, her voice low and menacing, but not low enough as to be unheard. Leliana discretely pulled the others away.

Zevran's eyebrow arched up with genuine surprise. "_Excuse_ me?" She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Oh, excuse _me_. As you wish." He turned on his heels and walked away, but not before she saw the hurt in his eyes.

"Zev…" He flipped a hand at her and continued walking toward the second floor.

Lucius looked up at Kallian with a whine and she jerked her head in Zevran's direction, letting Lucius follow him. Without so much as a word or a glance to anyone else, she stomped out of the estate and into the courtyard.

xXx

Kallian was angry with herself over the way she had handled Zevran, but she would worry about that later. All she wanted to do was deliver messages. They had messages for five couriers around the city, as well as a fistful of others to be delivered, and before she had gotten moody, she had thought it might be a nice day to go for a walk. The rain had let up and the sun was out for a change. As they stepped into the market, she took a deep breath and sighed. _A good day for a walk, no matter my mood._ They had barely made it through the estate gates when the knight called out to her.

"You there, I recognize you, from Ostagar." _Really? Maker help me, I could scream._

Kallian stopped and turned to her left to see a rather handsome and well-armoured blonde human staring at her. Three knights stood with him. She raised an eyebrow at Alistair, who simply repeated the action back at her. _I don't know_.

"I am sorry, ser, but do I know you?" She asked, trying to smile over her complete and utter annoyance.

"Andraste's blood, you're a Grey Warden. Duncan's apprentice. My friend and good King Cailan would still be alive if it weren't for the Wardens."

"_Our_ friend and his majesty King Cailan would still be alive if Loghain Mac Tir hadn't retreated from the battlegrounds prematurely. The Wardens were not responsible for the King's death."

Kallian could feel Alistair by her side and sensed that he was not supporting her so much as trying to get her to stop talking, and she rather wished she had simply denied being who Ser Landry thought she was, because surely that would have been easier. But no, she was in a mood all right.

Landry looked scandalized. "So you would compound slander on top of treason? You dare smear Teyrn Loghain's word? Loghain told me of your betrayal. I demand satisfaction and challenge you to a dual."

Inwardly, she was telling herself to backtrack, even thought she knew it was too late, given Landry's apparently chivalrous nature. Outwardly she was laughing. "You? In that armour, with a mace and shield? I am a duellist, ser, in lighter armour." He nodded.

"Where?"

"Behind the Gnawed Noble Tavern." She nodded and Ser Landry and his companions departed.

"What are you _doing_? He will fight to the death." Alistair hissed at her, as they followed behind.

"You are my second, Alistair. See to it."

He grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her to a stop. "Look, I have no idea what's gotten into you, Kallian, but I've been thinking about what you said yesterday, thinking that I should stand up for myself more often, so here it goes. I may not be ready to lead, you are far more natural at it than I, but every decision you make affects the rest of us and you had better remember that."

"Alistair, let us just deal with this and go." Wynne advised as calmly as she could, while shooting a disapproving glance at Kallian.

He dropped Kallian's arm. "We'll finish whatever the hell this is, but then we get back to delivering the mail, got it? I do not want to have to take your dead body back to Zevran."

Kallian didn't think she had ever seen Alistair so annoyed with her, never mind bold enough to say anything about it. _This is interesting._ "Of course."

Leliana leaned in to Kallian. "Remember yesterday, when you first attacked the dummy. Ser Landry's neck is most vulnerable, I think." Kallian remembered ripping the dummy's shoulders away from its neck and felt a stab of guilt. It didn't have to be this way.

Ser Landry and the three knights were waiting for them behind the tavern. _The same dead end we were in yesterday,_ Kallian thought miserably. Reminded of the alienage, her anger was back. She dropped her pack on the ground and drew her daggers, squaring off against Landry, his mace and shield at his sides.

He nodded and they began circling each other. He was the first to strike, swinging out with the mace while blocking with his shield. She dodged the blow, crouched and swept a leg around, not knocking him off his feet, but causing him to stumble. His mace came crashing down to the ground, but she rolled away from it, springing back up. Landry was circling her again and tried to pummel her with his shield, but she spun away from him too quickly. She kept at it for a few minutes – ducking his blows and spinning around him, so that he had to keep turning in order to keep her in his sights. She wasn't completely unscathed. He caught her every now and then with pointed end of his mace or the edge of his shield, but the injuries were superficial. A scratch here, a minor cut there, a mark on her leathers.

When she could see that he was getting dizzy with the effort of keeping his eyes on her, she ducked low for another leg sweep and knocked him to the ground. "Will you yield, Ser Landry?"

"I will not."

She stepped back and motioned for him to stand, allowing him to steady himself. Keeping a close eye on his shoulders, which telegraphed every move he was to make, she saw his right dip slightly as he made to swing his mace up at her while pulling his shield in toward his body. Spinning around to his left and behind him, she leapt up and, with a pinpoint strike, plunged her daggers into either side of Landry's neck where it curved into his shoulders. He fell to the ground and bled out quickly. The other three men mumbled that he had died an honourable death and congratulated her on a good fight before seeing to their friend. Kallian stepped back into Alistair, scarcely able to believe it had happened at all, it was over so fast.

"Come, we must leave." He grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her toward the Wonders of Thedas, scooping her pack off the ground as they went. The Tranquil who ran the shop was completely unaffected by their arrival and Kallian's appearance, dishevelled and bloodied as she was.

A familiar mix of guilt, anger and fear curled around her stomach and she thought she might be sick, but the warm feeling of Wynne's healing magic washed over her and the nausea passed. Leliana wiped blood from the scratches on Kallian's arms; Alistair was wiping her daggers clean with a kerchief and slipping them back into their sheaths.

"Are you okay?" Alistair was standing in front of her now, stooped over so he could look her in the eye.

She started to nod, then shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, but he really _angered_ me."

Alistair snorted. "More than you already were, you mean? Next time, you may want to count to ten before you open your mouth and get yourself into trouble. That was pointless and could have ended badly for us all. "

Leliana was eyeing a mage who was standing at a nearby bookshelf and turned to her friends. "I think we have a letter of termination for that man. Let me see it."

Grateful for something else to think about, Kallian crouched down and fished around in her pack until she found a small bundle of letters. Finding one of the last two termination notices they had left, she flipped it over to read the notes the Mages' Collective had made. Looking back up at the mage, she nodded and gave the letter to Leliana, who approached him. With that taken care of, they returned to the market to consider their next step.

Leliana quickly spotted the recipient of the final termination notice near a stand in the center of the market and when they had delivered that, she pointed to a somewhat forlorn-looking young woman near the Chantry. She matched the description of Sara, a woman whose husband had been killed while performing his duties as a Blackstone Irregular. They were to inform her of this.

Kallian's emotions were ranging from irrational anger to despair and she didn't feel at all equipped to deal with a woman who would surely fall to pieces upon hearing of her husband's death. She asked Alistair if he would mind speaking to the woman and he agreed. She handed the notice to him and they headed toward Sara.

xXx

Zevran had paced back and forth in their room for quite some time, while Lucius sat by the door, watching him. Zevran had wanted to tell Kallian that he knew the Crows would be descending upon Denerim soon, if they weren't already here, but he thought the news would put her on edge and was waiting for a good time to break it to her. There likely would never be a truly good time to tell her she was still a target, and given her mood this morning…he paused for a moment to think about that and decided that she must be struggling to keep her concerns about the alienage and her family at bay. Having never had a loving family, he had difficulty understanding what she was going through, but then he thought of Rinni, of how thoughts of his role in her death still plagued him. Even if Kallian's guilt was misplaced, it would take a while for her to put it aside, and he hoped in the meantime she didn't get herself killed.

After a while, he climbed up onto the ramparts along the outer wall of the estate for some fresh air and walked first to look toward the river, then back to the northeast to look into the market. Though they were a fair way in the distance, his lover and her companions were easy to spot. Her auburn hair, Wynne's white hair, and Leliana's bright red hair drew attention. Add to that the mage's robes, armour and weapons and they practically screamed "Here we are!". He snorted to himself, crossing his arms over his chest.

He was hurting from her outburst and looked away. She had always been so patient, so accepting of him, right from the moment she chose to spare his life. She had even sought to consult him about the Wardens' quest! After such a lovely evening, what had brought this on? Too many times he had been ordered around, put in his place, he thought as he sought them out again. The group was now standing in front of the Chantry, Kallian pointing toward the market gates, and they began to move in that direction. They quickly disappeared from his line of sight. Movement to his right caught his attention and he turned toward the Chantry. His pulse quickened at what he saw there. Not one, but three figures had separated themselves from the crowd of shoppers and were now heading toward the gates. He did not waste any time wondering if this was a coincidence and ran back into the estate to collect his weapons.


	10. I See Your Crow and Raise You Nine

**Author's Note:** Another short-ish chapter with quite a bit of dialog taken from DAO (thank you Bioware!). I am now treading into sections of the story that I have not fleshed out as much, so my next update might take a while. Thank you to everyone who has added me to alert and favorite lists - I must say that's rather exciting! - and to those of you who have commented. I welcome reviews/comments. Cheers!

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**I See Your Crow and Raise You Nine**

They walked to The Pearl, where they expected to find a courier, and along the way they found Tania, another soldier's widow. That encounter had not gone as badly as it could have, but their next did. By chance they happened upon Layson, a Blackstone Irregular gone rogue, who had stolen from his guild on the way out. In spite of an offer of mercy – and Kallian wanted to beg him to give her a reason to spare his life, so she would not have to kill him, because she really did not want to – he refused to surrender the guild's inventory and attacked them. He did not last long.

In order to spare Wynne the indignity of being in The Pearl for very long, Kallian planned on making the visit a quick one (this prompted more than a few fits of giggles amongst Leliana, Kallian and Alistair), and she was lucky enough to find the courier in the entrance hall. As they headed back to the Market, they found two more couriers.

Kallian's mood was lightening up and as they walked down one of the city's more deserted alleys she chatted with Leliana, pondering ways to apologize to Zevran for being so rude to him earlier in the day. Quite suddenly, or so it seemed to her companions, Kallian stopped moving, mouth half open in an unfinished sentence, hands on her daggers. Something felt wrong. The others froze, keenly attuned to her lead after months in her company. Kallian turned her head slowly to the right, to look up a flight of stairs to what appeared to be a dead end. Indeed, they had wandered into yet another dead end. A man dressed in studded leather armour stood there, smiling down at them.

"And so here is the mighty Grey Warden at long last." Kallian knew by the daggers he carried that he was with the House of Crows.

"Oh, this is not good." Alistair muttered under his breath. "This is _really_ not good."

"The Crows send their greetings once again. And where is Zevran? I don't see him with you. That is very disappointing."

"I didn't bring him with me, obviously." Kallian replied through clenched teeth. She had let her guard down, and they had walked into a trap. She wanted to slap herself. However, this did settle the question that had been nagging at her for a while now. The Crows knew Zevran travelled with her, no doubt about it.

"Hmmm. Then I shall need to seek him out once we are done."

"Here I am, Taliesin." Zevran stepped into view at Kallian's right. "Tell me, were you sent or did you volunteer for the job?"

Kallian swallowed hard, trying to read his expression out of the corner of her eye. He must have been following them, but how…? She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

"Oh ho, and so he makes an appearance! I volunteered, of course. When I heard that the great Zevran had gone rogue, I simply had to see it for myself."

"Is that so? Well, here I am in the flesh."

"You can return with me, Zevran. I know why you did this," he said as he gestured to Kallian with a smile. "And I don't blame you. It's not too late. Come back and we'll make up a story. Anyone can make a mistake."

"Zevran no longer needs the Crows," Kallian snapped.

He finally looked at her, that smile of his spreading across his face. "I think I shall do quite nicely without the Crows."

Alistair's relief was obvious. "Thank the Maker; you had me worried for just the smallest of moments, Zev." Zevran could not help but notice that and considered it a good sign.

Taliesin's gaze shifted around the alley as he exclaimed with mock dismay "What? You've gone soft!"

Zevran looked back at Kallian, his eyes darting around the alley, before he raised his voice to address Taliesin. "I am sorry my old friend, but I am not coming back...and you should have stayed in Antiva."

At least nine of Taliesin's men and women, most of who had been hiding around the alley, or in the narrow entrance to it, attacked. Alistair's war cry pierced the air and he charged forward, Cailan's shield flashing in the sun, Maric's sword coming down hard on the nearest enemy, moving on to the next when the first fell. The air crackled with Wynne's magic as she cast protection spells on her allies. Conjuring up great boulders, she hurled them at their enemies, killing two archers immediately. Leliana's arrows fired straight and true, finding purchase in Antivan flesh, even as she yelled "You should run while you still can!".

Zevran found himself immediately set upon by a young Crow recruit he recognized from his journey to Denerim so many months ago now and killed him easily. How the poor boy had managed to make it this far was beyond Zevran. Kallian stared at Taliesin just long enough to think that this man represented everything and everyone who had robbed Zevran of his youth, happiness, a chance at a life of his own, and she wanted nothing more than to put an end to the man, to give her lover a chance at something better. Zevran's sparring lessons came back to her, like pictures flashing through her mind, and she launched herself up the stairs and attacked Taliesin.

They fought a few minutes before they were joined by Zevran. He could see that neither of them had inflicted much damage to the other, which was a blessing as Taliesin generally poisoned his blades. Zevran and Kallian danced around Taliesin. Kallian was twisting and turning at a dizzying pace as she ducked and dodged around his every move, distracting him with little cuts here and there, and Zevran took a chance and thrust his arm out. Time seemed to stop. Zevran caught Taliesin under his left arm, in a small weak spot of the armour, puncturing the artery there. Taliesin's face fell and he began to crumple.

Grabbing him by the throat, Zevran put his lips close to Taliesin's ear and whispered "_That_ is for Rinna," as he lowered Taliesin to the ground, blood quickly pooling around him.

Barely mindful of what was going on around them, the sounds of battle diminishing in their favour, he turned to Kallian. She stood near him, splattered in blood, pale, staring down at Taliesin.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her lightly. "Kallian, are you hurt? Are you all right?" His hands flew over her armour, checking for any breaches, checking her exposed skin for wounds, before they moved up into her hair, holding her head steady so she had to look at him. "Kallian, _please_ _speak to me_."

Her eyes focussed on him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

They stared at each other for a moment and then he burst into laughter and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I am just happy you are well, mia cara, and could forgive you anything right now. I cannot believe he did not cut you." Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her.

"Don't worry, we've got it all under control," Alistair panted.

"Oh, I think it's cute." Leliana called out in her singsong voice as she checked the dead assassins for valuables.

Zevran stared down at Taliesin's body for a while before turning back to Alistair. "Could you give us a moment?"

"Oh...um, yes. Of course." He took Leliana by the elbow and steered her toward Wynne who had taken a seat on barrel a short distance away, looking rather tired.

"Where did you come from?" Kallian asked when they were alone.

"I was following you. I was on the ramparts of the estate and happened to see you leaving the market. Three Crows followed you, others joined them as you wandered the city, and a few were hidden here. The night we arrived, I overheard Loghain tell Howe to call the Crows and I knew it was only a matter of time. The Crows have masters here."

He pulled away from her, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "You know, you really must work on your shadowing. I am surprised you and Leliana did not notice that you had several Crows on your tail and were walking into an ambush."

Kallian thought this was an odd thing, the two of them having a moment like this in a dingy back alley as they stood over a dead man whose blood was slowly seeping into the ground.

She was feeling a bit sheepish about the ambush. It really hadn't been that long since she'd given Alistair a lecture about being careful. "Ah, well it's been a weird day for me and we were talking…wait, you knew Howe was going to alert the Crows to our location and you didn't tell me? _That's_ why you wanted me to stay at the estate. Zevran..." Her voice was soft, almost sad.

"Please do not change the subject my dear." She responded by wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing a little. She was touched more than angry.

Zevran cleared his throat and turned his attention turned back to Taliesin's corpse. "There it is. Taliesin is dead and I am free of the Crows. They will assume I am dead along with Taliesin. So long as I do not make my presence known to them, they will not seek me out."

She couldn't help thinking _let me know how _that_ goes for you_ and wondered who was being more naïve. "And that's a good thing, right?"

"A very good thing...it is in fact what I have hoped for ever since you decided not to kill me. I suppose it would be possible for me to leave now, if I wished. I could go far away, somewhere the Crows would never find me. I think, however," he pulled her close again. "I could also stay here. I made an oath to help you, after all, and saving the world seems a worthy task to see through to the end, yes?"

"Yes. Zevran, I want you to stay." She hugged him again, not wanting to let go of him.

"Then stay I shall. I am with you to the end. Come, we must leave this place before guards arrive."

xXx

Zevran had struggled with himself as he had chased after Kallian and the others. What would happen if he kept going, perhaps sought passage from Ferelden with Isabella, Captain of The Siren's Call? The thought sickened him once it had formed in his mind. How could he possibly do such a thing to his lovely Warden, when she had done nothing but show him mercy, acceptance and trust? She spoke of wanting him to have a life of his own when others had sought to control and use him his entire life. When he caught up with them and saw her facing Taliesin, he had been filled with pride and just a bit of lust because she looked radiant, fierce. He knew then that he could not leave her, would never leave her as long as it was in his power to stay.


	11. Confessions of Love

**Author's Note:** Bioware, nod. Quite a bit of game dialog is borrowed here with minor modifications. I saw that many M-rated stories actually have warnings about the smut coming up and thought 'that's redundant' until I forgot to close one I was reading over my lunch at work one day. That's when I got it, not that anything came of it in _my_ case, thankfully! So I guess I'm just saying you might want to be careful where you read this.

I always feel a bit awkward writing the smutty bits, like I'm actually watching someone else. Funny. Comments/reviews are most welcome!

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**Confessions of Love**

Zevran took Kallian to their room and locked the door behind him while pulling her into an embrace. They kissed, their hands blindly finding the buckles of each other's armour, and before long they were standing before each other in their small clothes, leathers, tunics and leggings littering the floor around them. He lifted her up and kicked aside armour, carrying her to the vanity. Placing her down, he collected a bowl, jug of water and cloth and began to wash the blood and dirt from her face and neck.

Kallian watched him, thinking there was almost a solemn reverence to his movements and the way he touched her and she thought she might weep with happiness, but she remained silent, her arousal building. When he was done, he dried her with a towel, wrapped her up in it and carried her to one of the chairs by the fireplace. He quickly washed himself and returned to kneel in front of her. Holding her face in his hands, he simply looked at her for a moment.

"What is it, Zev?"

His eyes met hers, something deeper than lust burning there, and she shivered. "Mmm, you are so lovely my dear, I merely wanted to enjoy the sight of you. Now, I wish to taste you, Kallian." He kissed her, his tongue teasing her lips.

She responded, fiercely. Her tongue probed his mouth, her arms and legs wrapped around him, and she pulled his body tight against hers. Pushing her back into the chair, he opened her towel and pulled at her small clothes, ripping them off. Cupping her breasts, he rubbed his thumbs across her nipples and kissed them. She was opening herself up to him, slinging her legs over the arms of the chair, and he kissed his way down her chest and belly, sending shivers throughout her body. Her hands pulled at his hair and wound into it, then trailed behind his ears and down his cheeks.

He looked up at her, while his fingers played with her flesh, slid into her body and toyed with the nub of pleasure hidden within her. She rolled her head back, her eyes half closed, lips parted, and sighed.

"Ooohh Zev, yesss." Her back arched.

Dipping his head, he kissed her belly and dragged his tongue down to her nether lips. She gasped as his tongue darted in and out of her, flicking and teasing her. When he rose to kiss her, she tasted herself on his lips and moaned.

"Zev, stand…" Kallian whispered hoarsely as she pushed him up.

She pulled his small clothes off and took him in her mouth while cradling his balls in one hand. Her other stroked his buttocks and thighs. Zevran held her head, his own tipping back as he revelled in the feel of her mouth sliding up and down his shaft while her tongue and lips teased the head of it. His knees began to feel weak and groaning, he pulled her up and lifted her, taking her to their bed. Crawling along her body, he rested on her and he kissed her again and again, drinking in the smell and taste of her, feeling her body beneath his.

"Zevran, I _need_ you…_please,_" she whispered as she slid her arms under his and up behind his shoulders, winding her fingers in his hair again, a sexual heat emanating from her.

"And I am all too happy to oblige you, mia cara."

He positioned himself against her body and pressed into her, slowly filling her. She rocked her hips against him and stroked his ears, prompting him to groan and thrust into her with more abandon.

"I want to ride you, Zev," she panted into his ear.

He lay on her and rolled them over, shifting them away from the edge of the bed. Hands on her hips, he watched with delight as she ran her fingers through her own hair, her raised arms making her lovely breasts all the more prominent, and rocked her hips back and forth as though she were riding a horse. She was doing something positively delightful with her muscles, as well, clutching him within her and before long they were crying out with pleasure as they reached the climax of their exertions.

Kallian settled next to Zevran, her head on his shoulder, idly tracing designs on his chest. They dozed off, napping until the sun dipped to the low horizon. Struggling against the temptation to enjoy each other again, they prepared for dinner.

xXx

They had dressed, Kallian's wild curls tamed into a single braid she left hanging down her back, and were about to leave when Zevran stopped her.

"Here. It seems an appropriate time to give you this." He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out in front of himself.

"An earring?" Indeed it was, gold with an emerald set in it.

He nodded. "I acquired it on my very first job for the Crows, a Rivainian merchant prince. He was wearing a single, jewelled earring when I killed him. In fact, that was about all he was wearing. I thought it was beautiful and took it to mark the occasion. I've kept it ever since…and I'd like you to have it."

He seemed reluctant to hand it to her, and she was hesitant to take it, knowing that no matter what this may mean to _her_, she had no idea what it meant to _him_. She thought it best to let him take the lead, saying only "It's beautiful, Zev."

"Don't get the wrong idea about it, you helped me killed Taliesin. As far as the Crows will be concerned, I died with him. This means I'm free, at least for now. It's really the least I could give you in return."

He moved now, taking her left hand in his, placing the earring on the palm of her hand. The moment he did so, uncertainty gripped him. This looked like a marriage ceremony. Was he binding himself to her? _Should_ he? What if the Crows did come for him again? In that moment, he thought he could not bear the thought of losing her, or causing her pain and this…this could undo them both. _And what am I to do, do exactly that and leave, breaking my oath? I shall drive myself insane!_

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." She had a slightly peculiar smile on her face that touched him in a way little else had, save herself.

"It's meant a lot to me, but so have…so has what you've done for me. Thank you. I have no better way to say it."

Kallian did not miss that slip, certain that he had been about to say 'but so have you'. While she didn't think it wise to assume anything, this seemed a very promising turn of events.

"I do not have pierced ears," she breathed as she ran a fingertip over the jewel. "Does it hurt much?"

She intended to wear it, not to sell it or hide it away. A now all too familiar mix of pleasure and fear rippled through Zevran. "I suppose that depends. If you wish, I could fix the clasp so that you can wear it on a ribbon around your neck."

She smiled up at him and nodded, handing it back while she went to her collection of back packs to find a ribbon. Zevran pinched the prongs of the clasp around the post and held it up for her inspection. Kallian threaded a light green ribbon through the earring and tied it around her neck so it nestled in the depression at the base of her throat.

"Thank you, Zev." She kissed him and wrapped her arms around his waist with a sigh. "Come, I am famished!"

xXx

The great hall sparkled with candle light and smelled delicious. The high board was littered with platters of quail, pheasant, duck, rabbit stew, trenchers of crusty bread and carrots and potatoes from the estate's garden. There was, much to Alistair's delight, a variety of cheeses out and a sideboard held many baked goods. Kallian laughed as she caught sight of Sten, his gaze firmly fixed on the cookie tray.

Arl Eamon's voice rang out, inviting his guests to sit, and everyone drifted toward the high board. Leliana closed in on Kallian, the new bobble having drawn her attention from the moment Kallian and Zevran appeared.

"Zevran, you look very handsome this evening," Leliana purred as she pulled Kallian off to the side of the room.

"And what is that, my friend?" She asked, nodding to the ribbon around Kallian's neck.

"A gift from Zevran." Kallian smiled, fingering the jewel yet again.

"It is lovely. What do you suppose it means?"

Kallian looked to Zevran, who was leading Wynne to a seat, making the elderly woman blush along the way. Keeping her head close to Leliana's and her voice low, she replied "He presented it as a token of…_appreciation_ for helping him earlier today, but I do not think that is quite what he intended to do. He looked positively frightened when he actually gave it to me, and when have you ever seen Zev look afraid? This is contrary to his training."

"Oh, my friend, I am so happy for you! I shall pray the Maker helps him see how good you are for him."

Kallian resisted the urge to roll her eyes, being far less devout than Leliana, and said only "Thank you."

They sat down on either side of Zevran who immediately looked a bit like the cat who swallowed the canary, flanked as he was by two beautiful women. Kallian's hand slid along his thigh and he reached for it, squeezing it gently. Wynne watched them with an approving smile and Leliana shot her a look that said 'I told you so'. Wynne nodded, toasting the young bard and chuckling a little into her wine glass as she drank.

xXx

As the evening wore on, members of the household retired for the evening and Kallian's party had sat in the library, around their elaborate 'campfire'. Alistair and Kallian had agreed to speak with Eamon in the morning to discuss their strategy going into the Landsmeet. Alistair then disappeared into a back corner with a book and fell asleep in a stuffed chair he recalled from his youth. "It seemed much bigger..." he had mumbled to no one in particular.

The others slowly headed to bed, leaving Kallian and Zevran standing at the fireplace, watching the flames sputter out into embers as they drank wine. When her goblet was empty, she turned to him.

"Zevran, let's go to bed." Kallian was feeling quite alert and energetic, considering the hour, and could think of several very delightful ways to tire herself.

He looked at her as though he had only just noticed she was there and an odd expression crossed his normally smooth features. "No, I...no. I mean no offense, I simply...No."

"I...ah, I am sorry. Perhaps that was clumsy of me..."

He busied himself with straightening his clothes and smoothing his hair. "Under normal circumstances, I would not hesitate. It's just...I do not wish to talk about it."

She reached out to put her hand on his arm, asking "Are you sure? You look like you want to talk."

Zevran pulled away. "Enough! I said...I am not interested. Can you not understand that? There are other things for you to focus on besides me, I am certain. Do...do those." With that, he put his goblet down and stalked off, tossing a curt "Good night." over his shoulder.

Kallian watched him leave and wondered for a moment what she should do. Follow him, begging him to tell her what was wrong? She knew what the problem could be – fear of betrayal, training that dictated attachments could get you killed, even the thought of being bound to yet another and not _truly_ free – and she was hardly going to play the desperate damsel. Confront him? Perhaps, but she would have to be gentle. Uncertainty gripped her then, and she wondered if he were having second thoughts about them, could she talk sense into him or would he leave?

A sigh from behind her startled her out of her thoughts. Alistair appeared from behind the bookshelves.

"Kal?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

She sighed. "How much of that did you hear?" Her lip trembled and she wanted to bite it off.

Alistair shrugged. "All of it."

Kallian snorted. "It's like living in the Alienage. Everybody knows what you're doing." She chewed on the corner of her lip, staring back into the fire. Alistair stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder.

"He..._adores_ you, we can all see it. Go talk to him."

"Why are you..."

"I care about you and I want you to be happy. Everyone can see the two of you are happy together." He watched her for a moment. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

"Thank you, Alistair." She kissed him on the cheek and ran out of the room, leaving him smiling sadly to himself.

"Well done, Alistair. Idiot." Raising his glass to the door, he downed its contents in one gulp.

xXx

Kallian reached their room and entered, closing the door behind her. Zevran was standing in the middle of the room, shirt in hand, looking as though he didn't know what to do next.

"What do you want?"

"_What do I want? _I want an explanation! You seem different...you _are_ different. Are you having second thoughts about us?"

He threw his shirt onto the bed, avoiding looking at her. "Are you certain you wish to talk about this? I really do not know what to say..."

"Yes. I want to know what has changed. _Please_, Zevran, tell me what's bothering you."

"Very well." He sighed and began pacing around the room. "An assassin...must learn to forget about sentiment. It is dangerous. You take your pleasures where you can, when life is good. To expect anything more would be reckless."

Kallian sat on their bed, her heart beating faster.

"I thought it was the same between us. Something to enjoy, a pleasant diversion and nothing more. And yet..."

"Zevran, are you saying you're in love with me?" She could barely breathe.

He shrugged, holding his palms up. "I don't know. How would you know such a thing? I grew up amongst those who sold the illusion of love, and then I was trained to make my heart cold in favour of the kill. Everything I have been taught says what I feel is wrong, yet I cannot help it. Ever since we first shared a bed, I have been nothing but confused...Can you understand me at all?"

"I am no wiser than you in that area, Zevran."

"All I need to know is if there might be some future for us, some possibility of...I do not know what." He looked into her eyes.

"Zevran, I do not know what the future holds for us, but I know how I feel about you. I don't know that I could bear what's to come if you weren't by my side."

A look of relief crossed Zevran's face. "Then that is good enough for me." He knelt before Kallian, grinning sheepishly. "I am sorry for acting so strangely."

Kallian took his face in her hands and kissed him feverishly. "I love you, Zevran Arainai."

"I think I will be better now," Zevran said between kisses. "_Much _better."


	12. Another Day, Another Mission

**Author's Note:** July 1st – Happy Canada Day to any Canadians out there, and a great Independence Day on Monday to my American readers. Everyone else…happy Thursday, I guess! Thank you Bioware, for DAO and the dialog I borrow for this chapter.

Reviews and comments are most welcome and appreciated.

* * *

**Another Day, Another Mission**

When Kallian and Zevran appeared for breakfast the following morning, Wynne could feel that something was different. She began to rethink her steadfast notion that the Warden was foolish to get entangled in a romantic relationship. The opinions of the rest of their team varied from outright happiness (Leliana) to pride (Oghren was pleased she was finally futtering, it seemed, and had told her so one night after a few too many ales) to disinterest (Sten) and disgust (Morrigan, although Wynne suspected the witch put on a good show and was secretly happy for the Warden). Even Alistair had come to accept their romance, and fairly quickly, something that would have been most difficult for him, of all of them.

Wynne watched Zevran. He seemed…_relaxed_ in a way she had not seen before; it was hard to put her finger on it, really. The way he looked at Kallian, had her sit while he fetched their breakfast, the way he touched her for no other reason than to touch her – brushing some part of her with his hand as he passed her, holding his hand at the small of her back as they stood together, sitting with a thigh pressed against hers, all of his movements tender – was quite endearing. Had he always been this way with her? Wynne could no longer deny it was obvious that Zevran cared for Kallian a great deal and took her happiness and safety to heart. He had been a great support to her lately.

Kallian deserved some happiness and she was certainly wearing it well at the moment. She was laughing, having somehow managed to drag a warm chuckle out of Morrigan, perhaps at Alistair's expense, who was blushing furiously. Wynne remembered the first time she'd laid eyes on Kallian. The bruised and battered young woman had arrived at Ostagar with Duncan and was wandering around the encampment when she spotted Wynne and struck up a conversation with her. Knowing now how the poor girl had come to be there, Wynne knew Kallian had come a long way and grown a great deal since that fateful day. Wynne would have to speak with Kallian. She felt she owed the young woman an apology.

She caught Kallian in the main hall as the Wardens were preparing to meet with Eamon and asked for a moment of the young woman's time. Kallian nodded and suggested that Alistair go ahead of her. She watched him disappear up toward the second floor before turning to face Wynne.

"Have you changed your mind about Zevran and me?" She spoke softly, a gentle smile pulling at her lips.

Wynne smiled and nodded, not too surprised by the question. "I have watched you for some time and perhaps I was wrong. There seems to be something special between the two of you. His demeanour changes when he is with you and there is a tenderness to his gaze I'd never seen till now."

"But I have seen it from the start." Kallian's cheeks flushed a soft pink.

"Perhaps he allowed just you to see it. I think I was too harsh in my judgement before and I am sorry." She gave Kallian's hand a squeeze.

"You wanted what was best for both of us, but thank you."

"What you have may not last forever, death and duty may part you, but love's worthiness is not diminished because of that. I should have seen this before. Instead, you learn to cherish every precious moment that you spend together, knowing that it may be the last. And for those of us watching…well, it brings warmth to these old bones to know that something so beautiful can be found in the midst of chaos and strife."

Kallian felt a tension in her chest. _Death and duty may part you_. Indeed it would one day. If she weren't outright killed she would eventually fall to the taint within her. Alistair said they had about thirty years and she was nearly through her first. She had no real idea what effect Avernus' potion would have on her longevity and they had not spoken to him for quite some time now. She had not received any reports on his research to this end. Twenty nine and counting. She focussed on the wisdom of Wynne's words. _Learn to cherish every precious moment that you spend together_. Kallian embraced the old woman.

"Thank you, Wynne. Thank you."

xXx

If Kallian hadn't been so annoyed when she barged back into their room later that morning, she might have found it amusing to find Zevran sorting their laundry with the help of an elven servant. They both started slightly as the door hit the wall and Kallian raised her hands to apologize, collapsing into a chair. Zevran and the servant exchanged glances and she stacked one hamper upon another, leaving the room. Zevran closed the door behind her.

"What is it, my dear Warden?"

Kallian stood and began to pace the length of the room. "We went to see Eamon only to discover Anora had sent her maid, Erlina, to him with a message that she is being held prisoner in Howe's estate. Not to mention she is apparently having doubts about her father's intentions and finally believes that he may have had a role in Cailan's death, and fears for her life…argh…We must rescue her if we are to gain her support in our efforts against her father, and because it is the right thing to do, but I do not trust her."

She was clearly frustrated by this turn of events. Every moment wasted not tracking down the nobility was a moment not spent garnering their support. But the _Queen's_ support…Zevran had to agree this would be quite a boon. Kallian obviously knew this as well.

"I cannot take Alistair with me. The closer we come to the Landsmeet, the more important it is to protect him. He will hate this; it is what he has tried to avoid all his life. He does not want to be treated any differently for being heir to the throne, but he will come to understand that this is necessary from time to time. Besides, there is the added pressure of being one of only two Wardens in all of Ferelden."

Zevran nodded. He could not fault her logic on either account. "Who will you take with you, then?" He tried not to sound too eager to know and leaned against the wall.

"Wynne, Leliana and you. How much time do you need?"

"I am always ready, but you may want to change into that. Wade had it delivered this morning." He pointed to an armour stand nearby, an amused smirk on his face.

A set of Wade's Superior Drakeskin Armour hung there. She could see what Zevran was smiling about – the neckline was low and would no doubt be just as revealing and enhancing as most of the armour she owned. _How special for him._ She was more concerned about how protected her bosom would be in battle. Strange he didn't think about that, but then again Morrigan fought in mere rags. She shook her head.

"Ah, well, we have to change into disguises…"

"Oh, a little role playing? How exciting." Zevran was beside her now, his arms sliding around her waist as he buried his face in her hair.

She laughed. "Oh, _no_. We have work to do. There will be time for that later." She looked into his eyes. "Zev, promise me if anything happens, you'll make sure Anora makes it back here. Okay?"

After a moment's hesitation he nodded. "Okay."

She rewarded him with a tender hand to the cheek and a chaste kiss on his lips before grabbing her weapons and a pack. With a smile, she led the way to the courtyard, where they met Wynne and Leliana.

xXx

Returning to the Arl of Denerim's estate was difficult for Kallian. The previous year, she had been unconscious during the journey from the alienage to the estate and later was far too preoccupied trying to make an escape to notice the exterior, but she was familiar enough with the interior. So much so that she had come to a complete stop when she realized they were investigating Vaughan's room.

By some miracle, they had made it this far without attracting very much attention at all, but Kallian was beginning to feel the pressure of expectation bearing down on her. Anora was trapped in her room with a magic barrier that Wynne could not break. They had to find the mage and, well…they would probably have to kill the mage, if she was to be honest with herself. That was usually how it went. Nothing about this sat well with her and on top of it all, she was to be plagued with memories of what brought her here the first time. An image of Shianni, sprawled on the floor, frantically pulling her skirts down while Vaughan stood over her, lacing his leggings, flashed through Kallian's mind and she shuddered.

She turned to her companions, fixing her gaze on Zevran specifically. "I need a moment."

The room clearly had not been disturbed for a while, although the carpet where Vaughan had fallen and died was gone. Everything left was covered in a thick layer of dust and she found herself thinking back to their conversation before she killed him. _I have forty sovereigns here…_She looked around and saw a trunk against the wall. Removing her gloves, she pulled a set of picks from her braided hair and got to work on the lock. In a moment it was open. On top of the clothing that was folded into the trunk, there was a small leather pouch and she picked it up, emptying it into her hand. Forty sovereigns.

"I think I will take that money after all, thank you very much," she whispered to no one in particular, while pocketing the gold.

Before long, they stood in Howe's room, pressed up against the wall near the entrance to the dungeons, listening. Kallian found it very disturbing indeed to know that Howe had a passageway to the dungeons in his personal bed chamber. _Who does that?_

Kallian motioned to Leliana and directed her to chest nearby. The bard dipped her head and obliged, handing Kallian a packet of parchments that appeared to document the activities of the Grey Wardens. There were also lists of names…_Duncan's_…she bundled them back up and slipped them into her pack. She raised her hand near her head and pointed to the door to the dungeons. The others nodded. Creeping forward, she made sure the stairwell was clear before leading them down.

Their arrival in the dungeon distracted a guard enough to allow a prisoner in the cell to their right to kill the man. Hands fished about for the keys, opened the door and dragged the guard's body into the cell. Kallian slowly stepped away from the stairwell to get a better look into the cell and saw a handsome, well-muscled but wounded and weary looking man putting on the guard's armour.

She could feel Zevran beside her. "He has been tortured," he whispered. She shuddered as she noticed the cuts and burns on his arms and legs, bruises everywhere.

Creeping forward cautiously, Kallian introduced herself to the man and it became clear to the others that this man was an ally. They gripped each other's right arm, hands near elbows and bent their heads close together for several minutes, murmuring. A series of emotions played out on Kallian's face, which she explained later: happiness (he was Riordan, an Orlesian Warden), disappointment bordering on despair (he was _the_ scouting party sent to ascertain why Cailan had not sent for the Orlesians and no one else would be here any time soon), anger (Howe was responsible for his imprisonment and torture) and resolve (she told Riordan how to reach Eamon's estate, he told her where Howe had gone). The papers they had found in Howe's room were Riordan's and Kallian gave them to him as she consulted her party.

"Wynne, can you do anything for Riordan? If he can make it to estate, he can see the Arl's physician, hopefully drawing less attention in the city. Zev, Leliana, poultices, bandages, anything you can spare?"

While Wynne cast various spells to detect internal injuries and heal them as best she could in the short time she had, the others quickly patched up Riordan's external injuries and Zev slipped him a vial of fluid.

"You have a distance to travel, not much, but considering what you have been through it will feel far greater. This is concentrated; you will want to take a small sip now and perhaps one more, depending how long it takes you to get to the estate, but that is it." He indicated a series of small indentations on the vial, marking dosages.

"Do not take too much or you may become quite drowsy and start hallucinating, and remember; this will only dull the pain, not heal your injuries. Do not overexert yourself."

"I thank you. Good luck, Sister, and may the Maker watch over you all."

Riordan limped up the stairs. Kallian and her team continued forward.

xXx

Rescuing Anora and freeing Riordan would not be the only things they would accomplish that day. They first came across a man who was being tortured and when they had killed his tormentors and freed him, he introduced himself as Oswyn, son of Bann Sighard of the Dragon's Peak Bannorn. He seemed to think at first that his father had sent them to rescue him, but soon realized his father likely had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. When Kallian provided Oswyn with an update on Loghain and Howe's plots, the young man assured them that his father would support their efforts at the Landsmeet. They gave him some poultices, Wynne again performed what healing she could to give him time to escape, and they carried on.

Next they came across a soldier for whom they had been searching, a man named Rexel. The poor man was nearly out of his mind with guilt and grief, apparently a witness to Loghain's retreat from the battlefield at Ostagar. Having liberated a set of keys from a guard, they freed the man hoping he could make it out of the fort without being detected.

Shortly after this, they encountered Howe, who was with two mages and two soldiers. Kallian stood tall and proud and faced the man.

"Well, well, the Grey Warden. I must say I am surprised Eamon would condone you invading my castle and murdering my men." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Is he losing faith in the persuasive powers of his Landsmeet?"

"I am here for Anora," Kallian stated, her tone threatening.

Howe laughed. "That traitorous bitch has you under her thumb? Anora does like games. I'm surprised she played with the likes of you. You should have left while you had the chance, Warden, slunk of to the Anderfels to hide with the rest of your kind. This Landsmeet is a farce. Loghain will triumph and _you_ will die."

They would agree later that Howe was tough for an old man. The mages were equally difficult to bring down and Kallian found herself regretting not bringing Alistair. His ability to strip a mage of spell casting power was quite handy. She focussed on Howe, trying to ignore the magic spells crackling around her while avoiding Leliana's arrows. Howe had chosen to fight with two swords, leaving his shield aside. The swords looked heavier, she thought, so while she now had more swinging blade to watch for, she could tire him out using the whirlwind technique she had perfected.

As they circled each other, Howe hurled insults at her, calling her a knife ear, traitor and anything else he could think of and he did make the first cut with a glancing blow to both her forearms as she spun around him. That was when a series of strange and somewhat disturbing things happened. All of Kallian's pent up anger raged to the surface until she was quite literally seeing red. For a split second, she wondered if Howe had cut her forehead, but an odd sensation drew her attention to the cuts on her arms.

The blood from her wounds was _flowing_ down to her hands and onto her daggers, coating them, but _none_ of it dripped to the floor. Equally strange was the colour of her blood. It was much darker than it should be, and looked nearly black. Howe seemed to have noticed this as well, for he had a look of slight horror on his face. _The taint within me? Could it affect Howe?_

Employing her stealth skills, greatly improved under Zevran's tutelage, Kallian slipped into the shadows to her side. She lunged at Howe after a moment and discovered she was moving with more speed and agility than she thought she possessed. He was having less success hitting her and the fight quickly turned to her favour. After a few good hits to his armour, Kallian cut his dominant hand and almost immediately Howe dropped both his weapons and clutched at the wound, crying out in pain.

Taking full advantage of this, she faced him and kicked him in the stomach as hard as she could, knocking him back onto the floor. Leaping on top of him, she plunged a dagger into his chest, puncturing his lung, and pushed herself back up onto her feet, staring down at him. He managed to push himself back up onto one arm in one final gesture of anger so great it was a wonder he could live with himself.

"Maker spit on you, you knife eared _bitch_!" He gasped as blood bubbled onto his lip. "I deserved…more." He collapsed to the floor as the last of his breath was forced from his body and the spark of life left his eyes.

The room was silent, their enemies dead. Kallian had completely missed the rest of the fight and even as she stood there, looking down at Howe's lifeless body, she was not fully aware of what was going on around her. When she finally looked around, she realized her companions were staring at her with fear in their eyes.

"What?" She asked stepping away from Howe and bending to wipe her blades on the robes of a nearby mage.

As she stood she felt weak and reached out to balance herself. Zevran took hold of her hand, his eyes searching hers. "They are _red_," he whispered, something akin to awe in his voice.

"What have you done?" Wynne asked, her voice filled with concern. "Your_ health, _Kallian. Have you been poisoned?"

Kallian felt her energy drain a bit more and something she had read in Avernus' lab at Wardens' Keep came back to her. _You tricky bastard._ Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths and focussed on controlling her energy. Her strength returned and she rocked her head from side to side, working the kinks out of her neck with a few loud cracks. The wounds on her arms stopped bleeding. _This is going to be an awkward conversation,_ she thought, knowing full well she had tapped into a dark magic…blood magic. _That's just great_.

"We should keep moving."

Not wanting to invite any further discussion, she turned her attention to stripping Howe of anything valuable and the others followed her lead, working on his companions. As Kallian did so, she noticed that the flesh around Howe's wounds were surrounded by a blackness that seemed to be spreading, eating into him. _Maker have mercy, what _have_ I done? _She tried not to let her sense of alarm show as she stood and left the room.

They searched the rest of the dungeons and found a templar named Irminric, which turned out to be yet another boon for them. This man had been guarding Jowan, the blood mage responsible for poising Eamon, and was taking him back to the Circle of Magi. Loghain 'liberated' Jowan and imprisoned Irminric, allowing Howe to do what he wished with the man. Deep guilt at failing to perform his duties ate at Irminric and lyrium withdrawal was affecting his mind. He was lucid enough to ask that Kallian seek out his sister, Bann Alfstanna, to give her his ring and ask her to pray for him. Kallian wished they could take him with them, but realized it would make them more vulnerable, so she simply took his ring and agreed to seek out his sister, leaving his cell unlocked. Pressing a vial of lyrium potion and some rations into his hand, she left him.

"Come," she said to her companions. "We must get the Queen and get out of here."

xXx

Leaving Anora's room, they turned into the entrance hall and found themselves face to face with Ser Cauthrien and a rather large number of soldiers. _Oh, this keeps getting better and better. Why do you do this to me? Maker, is this supposed to be funny?_

"You are under arrest for the murder of Arl Redon Howe," Ser Cauthrien announced.

Kallian raised her hands, thinking a combination of surrender and honesty might be the better way to approach this situation, considering the number of swords pointed at them. "I have come to free Queen Anora who was being held against her will."

"Don't be ridiculous. The Queen isn't being held prisoner here or anywhere else. Her father would never stand for such a thing." Kallian thought she saw a flicker of doubt on Cauthrien's face.

"She is right here. Tell her, your majesty." Kallian motioned to Anora.

Ser Cauthrien was clearly stunned when she saw Anora amongst them, wearing armour. "What?"

Anora's expression was not what Kallian had expected and in a heartbeat she understood why. Anora stepped forward, wringing her hands.

"Ser Cauthrien! Praise the Maker you're here. This brigand tried to kidnap me!"

Kallian could hear Zevran hissing "Vaffunculo_,__fica_." behind her and found herself hoping the Queen did not speak Antivan or Zevran would be arrested for treason or something, which she realized was an incredibly ridiculous thing to think, considering the circumstances.

"Unbelievable! Bring them down. Loghain wants the Warden, alive or dead!" Ser Cauthrien had laid down the rules of engagement and Kallian knew it was a lost cause.

Kallian remembered yelling "RUN!" and seeing Zevran pull Anora out of the fort in the ensuing confusion. Ser Cauthrien was by her side and in a flash of silver everything went black.


	13. Escape

Author's Note: TYB4DAO…A short but emotional chapter. Reviews? Comments? Cheers!

**Escape**

"Eamon, I may have done something terrible." Anora gasped as she slid to a halt in Eamon's library.

Alistair and Eamon turned to see Anora followed by Erlina, Zevran, Leliana and Wynne, the latter three looking quite upset. Kallian was nowhere to be seen. Leliana might have been praying to the Maker or Andraste, Alistair wasn't sure which.

Zevran's eyes blazed with anger and his voice, normally calm, was far from it. "What is this? She throws her saviour to the wolves and now she has second thoughts?"

Alistair looked at Zevran, but spoke to Anora. "What is it you _may_ have done, exactly?" Staring into Zevran's eyes, Alistair felt cold fingers of fear creeping down his spine.

"What in Andraste's name has happened? Are you all right?" Eamon demanded.

"The Warden has been captured." Anora stepped away from Zevran's proximity.

"And this may have been _your_ fault? Maybe? Perhaps?" Alistair turned on her, wondering if it would be such a bad thing to leave her alone with Zevran for a few minutes.

"What? How could this happen?" Eamon looked to Zevran, who appeared to be thinking of ways to kill Anora, his eyes all but throwing daggers at her.

"Oh, well…" Zevran started, but Anora cut him off, earning more glares.

"Never mind that. The question now is how to free her? Cauthrien will take her to Fort Drakon. Getting in will be no small feat."

Zevran looked as though he might explode. Alistair went to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "If she hasn't found a way to escape yet, you will get her out. I hesitate to send you for her, because Cauthrien has seen you, but I know I can't stop you. And I know she wouldn't want me to come for her," he admitted begrudgingly. "Take Morrigan. She's learned enough basic healing spells from Wynne to be useful if needed, and Maker knows you can use the rest of her magic, too."

"I only need Morrigan." The assassin virtually disappeared, not needing an invitation to get started.

Morrigan had a lightning bolt ready to throw at Zevran when he suddenly appeared in the doorway to her room, but the look on his face gave her pause.

"Kallian has been arrested and is likely at Fort Drakon by now. We must rescue her."

The electricity dancing along her fingers died. Grabbing her pack and staff, she was by his side quickly, a surprisingly sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "How did this happen?"

Zevran's features tensed and he explained. "Granted, it caused such confusion, we escaped easily, but I will kill that bitch Anora if Kallian is harmed."

"'Tis only natural that you would feel so, but be careful what you speak, Zevran. You will be of no use to your love if you are arrested for treason."

"How uncharacteristically kind of you." Zevran could not help himself, in spite of the circumstances.

"And yet you had to ruin the moment," she responded without her usual snide sharpness. "Let us go."

xXx

When Kallian awoke, she felt awful. More specifically she felt cold and naked and terribly disoriented; less specifically, it felt as though she'd been kicked all over Denerim. She tried to move and realized she was shackled to something. Opening her eyes took some effort, but when her eyes adjusted to the dim light, the reality of her situation hit her like a charging ogre. She was on the floor in the corner of a cell in nothing but her small clothes, haphazardly propped into the corner as though she'd been tossed there. It rather felt as though she had been. The manacles binding her wrists were attached to a length of chain that ran through an iron ring attached to the wall above her head. Sitting as she was on the floor, her arms were held up above her head and going numb. _At least I'm not completely naked_, she thought with a slightly delirious giggle.

Groaning, she struggled to stand, faltering a few times before flexing some life back into her arms and grabbing onto the chain restraining her so she could pull and push herself up. The effort almost did her in and she propped herself up in the corner, taking a few deep breaths. She slowly became aware, through the feeling of being watched, of another presence nearby.

"You look like you crawled through all kinds of crap, my friend." The voice came from off to her right and when she thought she could stomach it, she turned slowly to see a grey-haired man watching her from the next cell. He, too, was in his small clothes and he was sporting a black eye, among other injuries. "What did you do?"

"I trusted the wrong person." She was slowly regaining her strength and raised a hand to the back of her head. Her braid had been yanked apart and her scalp was sore. Her lock picks were gone.

The man next to her snorted. "That sounds like a tale."

"Pfft. Indeed. My friends will rescue me." She was pleased to hear she sounded quite confident about that.

"Good luck," he sighed unhappily.

A moment later, she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching from below and before long a guard appeared from a stairwell nearby. Keys jangled and the door opened.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Grey Warden, awake." He stepped in and walked over to her, eyeing her up and down.

"I didn't know they recruited such pretty little knife-eared whores, but the Wardens take just about anyone, don't they?"

"Stay away from me, you bastard." She kicked a leg out at him and nearly fell over, regaining her balance only because she was chained to the wall. _Not good._

"Look at you! Chained to a wall, helpless and at my mercy, yet so feisty. I like a fighter."

He lunged at her and pressed his body against hers, stroking the edge of her ear. Kallian bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, pain overshadowing any pleasure that touch might have caused. Backing up just enough, he grabbed the chain restraining her and yanked it up, pulling her arms up over her head until she was just barely standing on her toes. His other hand moved roughly around her ribs to her back and down into her small clothes to grab at her buttocks while forcing a knee between her legs.

"Please don't do this," she tried once more, trying not to sound too desperate or afraid, but Maker's breath she _was_ desperate and afraid.

Near the edge of her vision, she could see the man in the cell next to her was moving away, toward the front of his cell. _Is he pointing at me?_

xXx

Zevran had gotten them into Fort Drakon with a ridiculous story about being there to deliver an item of an intimate nature. He said this while rolling his eyes toward Morrigan who moved her body just then to cause her robes to shift in a rather provocative manner. From there, he bluffed his way past the Captain and then talked a plain guard named Tanna into leaving her post to preserve what beauty she had left. After quickly and quietly dispatching a few stray guards, they found themselves creeping up a flight of stairs toward some cells.

Zevran could hear a man talking and slowed down. Stopping as his head cleared the floor, he found himself peering toward a cell with the door open. He heard Kallian's voice, pleading. In the next cell, a male prisoner had spotted him and was stepping forward, pointing into the open cell, where Zevran's view was obstructed by the door. He motioned to Morrigan and then crept forward, entering the cell. What he saw nearly stopped his heart. Kallian was being held against the wall by a rather large man who was clearly about to rape her, and she was struggling against him. She shifted and saw Zevran, and in that moment he thought he could not be more proud of her for the way she reacted.

Kallian relaxed slightly and looked at her tormentor. "Have you ever met a crow, ser?"

"What?" He looked back at her. "The bird? What are you on about?" This was not usually how a woman reacted when she was about to be raped. This lack of screaming and begging was disturbing.

"No, ser. Have you ever met an Antivan Crow?"

He shuddered slightly then and laughed to cover it. "No, never. What a stupid…"

"Allow me to introduce myself." Zevran appeared directly behind the man, his dagger sliding gracefully between him and Kallian, pressing into his neck. "I see you started this party without me, my dear, and have an uninvited guest."

The guard let go of Kallian's restraints and she crumpled slightly.

Looking Kallian in the eye, Zevran steeled himself against the tears he saw there and asked "Are you hurt, mia cara?" with such tenderness, she thought she might burst into tears then and there.

"I hurt all over but I will be all right, Zev. If you hadn't come when you did…" She could feel magic washing over her, familiar but cold, and noticed Morrigan at the door to her cell.

"Morrigan, if you please." Zevran's voice had gone very cold.

Kallian watched as the guard suddenly stiffened, fear in his eyes. Morrigan had paralyzed him. Zevran turned the man away from Kallian and let him fall to the floor, then turned him face up.

Kneeling over him and cruelly straightening the guard's now broken nose, Zevran put his blade to the man's throat again. "I truly regret that I do not have more time to get to know you better and make you truly regret what you have done and what you meant to do. I shall not, however, regret doing this." Kallian looked away as Zevran cut his throat. Slowly.

Zevran searched the guard and found his keys, handing anything else of worth to Morrigan. Zevran released Kallian's hands and caught her as she slid down the wall. Sitting on the floor, he held her in his lap. Kallian collapsed against him, putting her hand on his chest; he wrapped his arms around her, his chin on her head. Kallian choked back a sob, reaching to stroke his cheek. Morrigan looked away, a strange tension forming in her chest and around her eyes. She could not recall a time when she had seen the assassin so full of visible emotion; if you saw it at all, you saw it in his eyes, and you likely did not want to be that close if you did. Today he was wearing his heart on his sleeve. _Fool_.

"We do not have time for this, Zev. Let me see to her injuries." Even Morrigan was surprised she called him Zev. _More the fool I, for this nonsense,_ she chided herself.

Morrigan cast another healing spell and inspected Kallian's hands. Both of them had been cut when the guard pulled her up with the shackles. Her flesh would slowly knit together with the spell, but Morrigan applied an injury kit in any event to prevent scarring. This healing magic was not her strongest skill. She was far more adept at death and destruction and shape shifting.

"She has enchanted weapons, rings and the like. Where are..."

"There's a chest, over there." The man in the next cell was pointing to the opposite side of Kallian's cell.

"Set him free, Zev, please." Kallian asked weakly. "Let him answer to the Maker for whatever he might have done to end up here, if he did anything at all."

Zevran did so and the prisoner paused. "Thank you, friend. Maker bless you."

Kallian smiled, nodding. "Maker watch over you." Zevran replied.

Zevran crossed to the chest and returned with Kallian's things, putting them on the floor. Digging out her tunic he handed it to Morrigan and then found Kallian's leggings. "Let's get you dressed."

Between the two of them, Kallian was in her armor fairly quickly and as Morrigan helped Kallian put her enchanted rings, belt and amulets back on, some of her colour and strength returned. Morrigan adjusted Kallian's hair so she would draw less attention to herself, gently untangling the plait and rebraiding it.

Zevran held her face in his hands, looking into her eyes. "How are you feeling now?"

"I can make it out of here, but I will be much better once I've seen Wynne. Thank you, Morrigan." The two women looked into each other's eyes for a moment and Morrigan nodded.

"You didn't kill Anora, did you?" she asked, turning back to Zevran.

"I wanted to, I still do...Oh, you were joking, yes?" She was smiling at him now. "Very funny. I..." He caught sight of the guard on the floor and paused. "She is lucky indeed we found you in time."

He stepped closer to Kallian and embraced her gently, not wanting to do any more damage to her.

"I knew you'd come for me."

"Nothing could have stopped me, mia cara. Nothing."


	14. Perhaps We Should Talk

**Author's Note:** I am perhaps being a bit too fussy here, but thought I should mention that I started out using European Spanish as Antivan, I think, and then switched online translators and shifted to Italian. Those of you who pay attention to such things will know that 'amata' is not Italian for beloved, but I put that out there pretty early so am going to stick with it.

I had a bit of difficulty with this chapter. I am actually making this up as I go along, having only had a vague impression of where I wanted to start and end, and this Power of the Blood thing came to me on the fly. I have played through a few times now and thought it was weird that drinking the alchemical potion gets no real reaction from your team, so…Please feel free to comment/review. Cheers!

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**Perhaps We Should Talk**

Kallian dreamed she was back in Fort Drakon, pinned against the wall, the guard pawing at her, forcing her legs apart, and then Zevran was there to save her, golden hair shining in the dim light, his amber eyes blazing. _Zevran_. Her eyes flew open, burned and clamped shut again. They had returned to the estate under the cover of night, but it was now day and sunlight was streaming into the room through the nearby window. She curled onto her side and scrubbed her face with her hands. Wynne had determined nothing was broken but everything was bruised. She had cast a spell, given Kallian a potion, applied a few injury kits, given her an odd look and left, patting Zevran on the arm. More of the previous night's events were coming back to her now and she was feeling a bit uncertain of herself.

Groaning, she rolled onto her back. Everyone had been concerned for her, but there had been the questioning looks Wynne, Leliana and Zevran had given her and it felt as though everyone was trying to not talk about something awkward. Someone had obviously told Alistair what had happened just before Howe's death, and she could sense he wanted to talk to her. Then there had been the conversations with Anora, the first when she had returned to the estate and they had sought out Eamon. She had argued with the _Queen_, accused Anora of betraying her. Much to Kallian's shame, Anora may have had a point. Kallian did not have to identify her to Cauthrien; she could have…She rubbed her face again. It didn't matter. That was yesterday.

Today was a whole new day and she had more pressing concerns. When they had gotten over their initial spat and on with the matter of the Landsmeet, Anora had advised them that something was going on in the alienage, but no one was quite sure what and she believed Loghain and Howe must be behind whatever it was. This news had not sat well with Kallian, of course, but she had gnawed on her lower lip and tried not to dwell on it.

She had spoken privately with Anora after a brief conversation with Riordan and agreed to support her in her bid for the throne, if Anora would consider marrying Alistair. Why not? It seemed like a good idea, Eamon had agreed when she'd asked the question earlier. Alistair had not thought so, but hadn't protested as much as she thought he might. He _seemed_ to give the notion some consideration, at any rate. Oddly, Anora agreed to consider it, on the condition that Alistair would allow her to continue to rule as she had when Cailan was king. That was when Kallian had begun to fade, the events of the day finally undoing her, and Zevran had carried her to their room.

She wondered how Alistair would take this news. If he agreed to marry Anora, would he agree to her condition? Kallian supposed it wouldn't matter once he was crowned king. He was heir to the throne and would be the ruler; Anora would have to abide by that or risk going to prison. If he didn't agree, he could be put forward as the candidate for king on his own and this alliance with Anora would simply be a means to an end – getting her to speak on their behalf at the Landsmeet. That was the most important thing to remember, she thought grimly. There was a civil war to put off, a blight to end, a throne to secure, and everyone had a part to play. Anora would know this better than anyone, but Alistair would not and Kallian felt guilty about tinkering in the life of her friend and brother at arms, no matter his birthright.

There was a knock at the door and Zevran appeared with a tray of food in his hands. He was followed by several servants and butlers who were carrying water to fill the tub. A parade of people came and went for nearly fifteen minutes to accomplish this task. While they did, Zevran gave her a mug of tea, a blend of Wynne's, a trencher of porridge with dried fruits and nuts, and a fresh scone with honey. He helped himself to the same and sat on the bed with Kallian, eating to the sound of water sloshing into the tub. When it was finally full and they were alone, he scented the water and went back to her side.

"Let's get cleaned up, yes? You have audiences with both Alistair and the Queen, and then you must decide how to proceed from here."

"Ha. An _audience_ with Alistair. I never thought I'd see the day. Zev, I…we should talk about…"

He silenced her with a kiss while working to unlace her sleeping gown. "Into the tub." He pulled their bedding back and helped her out of bed.

Kallian slipped her gown off, walked to the tub and climbed into the hot, lavender-scented water. Zevran joined her as she resurfaced from a dip under the water and helped her wash her hair. When she had rinsed, he washed his. He then washed Kallian's neck, back and arms. The silence wasn't as awkward as she thought it might be, and she felt reassured by his touch that recent events hadn't changed things between them, but she finally had to speak. She turned to face Zevran, her eyes searching his.

For the short time she had been imprisoned in Fort Drakon, she had been afraid of many things, the least of which was what might happen to her, really. She believed he would come for her, but she _had_ been afraid she might never see him again, or that when she did, things would be different between them. What would he think when he found out what she had done to obtain these new powers she had finally managed to tap into? She thought of the other things he didn't know about her and she wanted nothing more than to tell him everything. She trusted him, loved him, and knew he loved her, but she had kept things from him, things that burdened her, that he deserved to know, and she couldn't keep silent any longer. _Be open and honest in your relationships_, her father had counselled her.

Zevran reached out to touch her face. "What is it, mia cara?" She looked anxious.

"Ah, I…I don't know where to begin. I think there are things about me that you should know."

"Well yes, I have come to suspect as much, but I thought you might like to discuss that when Alistair arrives." He stroked her cheek and handed the wash cloth and soap to her, turning around.

She lathered up the cloth and began washing Zevran's back. "Well there is that, but I am talking about what it means to be a Warden. Things Alistair might not like me telling you. Warden secrets, you see. Once I tell you, I will have to kill you."

"Oh, intriguing." He leaned back into Kallian and took the cloth from her to wash his arms and legs.

"Alistair tells me it is difficult for Wardens to have children."

Zevran had nothing against children, and rather liked them, really, but he had never thought about being a father, given his profession. He had only just acquired his freedom from the Crows and it could be tenuous at that, so having babies was not high on his list of things to do. This news did not bother him overly much. He shrugged.

"Difficult is not impossible and the trying would certainly be enjoyable, yes?"

Kallian smiled and wound her arms around Zevran's chest, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Wardens only live for about thirty years once they pass the Joining, less if they are older, and then the taint takes them. I was just seventeen when I joined, so supposedly I will live another twenty nine."

Again, nothing quite so devastating. He was twenty-eight and considered himself lucky to have lived so long. He fully expected he might die at any moment and knew the same was true of her. It was this business about the _taint_ that bothered him.

"You know what I say, mia cara. Death happens. Do not misunderstand; I am not saying I would not be most distressed at your passing, simply that it is a fact of life. But what do you mean about the taint?"

"I do not know for certain." She paused, wondering how far she should go with this Spilling of the Secrets. "Part of the Joining involves drinking darkspawn blood that has undergone some sort of magic ritual. The ritual apparently slows down the spread of the taint, so I suppose when the time comes…" She suddenly had a vision of herself turning into a broodmother and shuddered rather violently. "I suppose it spreads."

Zevran turned around. "Let us get out, the water is cooling and you are getting chilled." He did not think she was cold, but did not want her to dwell on the unpleasant and tried to keep his tone light.

He reached for the drying towels on the rack by the fire and wrapped one around her, lifting her out of the tub. "I will admit I find that rather disturbing, but…I am sorry, were you finished?"

"Ah…yes, I think so. No more Warden secrets."

He put her down and rubbed his hair with a towel and wrapped it around himself, going to their wardrobe for clothing. He gathered small clothes, tunics, and leggings for them both and returned to the fireplace where she was now sitting, watching him with a furrowed brow while drying her hair. He handed her clothes to her and began to dress himself.

"As I was saying, that is disturbing but likely not to be of concern to us, as I am sure we will both be killed by the arch demon or Loghain's men or bandits or _something_ before too much longer. You have a knack for drawing that sort of attention to yourself." He paused.

"Do you remember what you first said to me?"

She laughed at the sudden change of subject. "Ah, let's see. You tried to kill us, we kicked your ass, tied you up…right. If I recall, I kicked you in the hip and said 'Wake up, you _jackass_'." She wriggled her bottom at him as she pulled her leggings on and laced them.

He chuckled. "You did. Not the most graceful or civilized introduction, but it was charming in its own way." He stood before her and helped her pull her tunic over her head.

"My point is this. From that moment, I began to become quite attached to you, amata. Now that I have so foolishly fallen in love with you, I would rather cherish what time we have together than think on such trivialities." He reached out to wipe a tear from her cheek. "But if you tell anyone I have gone _so_ soft, I will have to kill you, so we are even, yes?" He was grinning at her now, holding her hands in his.

Kallian wasn't sure if she was laughing or crying or both as Zevran kissed her. She didn't think it was a coincidence that he was spouting Wynne's wisdom to her, but she didn't care if he had eavesdropped on them.

xXx

When Alistair knocked on the door a few minutes later, he got the distinct impression he had interrupted something, but Kallian was looking much better than she had when Zevran and Morrigan had brought her back, which was a relief. Even the bruise on her jaw where Cauthrien had hit her was quickly fading. Zevran let him into the room and closed the door, motioning to one of the chairs by the fireplace. Kallian was sitting in the other; Zevran settled on a footstool beside her.

"Sooo. It's good to see you." He smiled and launched into his reasons for being there.

"Wynne's mumbling about blood magic, Leliana has been praying since she returned and you are starting to look a little guilty right about now under that healthy blush. Not to mention Anora is giving me terribly nasty looks every time she sees me, but I'm reasonably certain that's not related. What is going on?"

Kallian stood up and began pacing. "Ah…well, we do need to talk about Anora, too, but…Well. You remember when we liberated Wardens' Peak with Levi?" Alistair nodded.

"On our way through Avernus' lab, I was reading his notes?" She waited for Alistair to nod again, stalling.

"I read about a potion Avernus created, one he thought could increase the Wardens' longevity and help them utilize the power of their tainted blood. There was a vial of it nearby and I…I took it with me."

"And _then_?" Alistair looked as though he did not want to know where this story was going; Zevran's tanned face was paling, his own mind having already gotten there.

"About a week later, a month ago now, I guess, Oghren and I got into a bit of a drinking contest and later, when I was alone, I got curious…and I drank it. Avernus' potion, I mean. I do not know if it is blood magic, but I am no mage, so I would argue it is not." _Right, let's just get that out of the way with a completely feeble argument._

There was a long silent pause during which Alistair stared at Kallian, blinking periodically. Zevran sighed and smoothed his hair and clothes.

"You did what now?" Alistair finally asked.

"I drank…"

"Yes, I got that part, _thank you_. So this bottle had a little 'drink me' label on it and you…you just _drank it_?" He stood and started pacing, then stopped and rubbed his forehead. "I cannot believe you would do something so…so _irresponsible_. What if it had killed you?"

That thought had occurred to her the moment _after_ she had upended the vial and swallowed the foul tasting fluid, but then…

"It made me feel…_great_, Alistair. At the time, I thought it was the ale, that I was drunk, because, well, I _was_." She snorted, as though this should be amusing, but Alistair just glared at her. "Ah, right. The next day, instead of being hung-over, which I really should have been, I…I felt pretty good."

Zevran was, as was Alistair, wondering what repercussions drinking this potion would have for her in the long run, but the scene playing out before him was amusing. Kallian was blushing, looking contrite, and trying to avoid eye contact with Alistair. He, on the other hand, was now standing in front of her with his arms crossed, staring down at her. His fingers thrummed along the upper arms of his armour, sending a series of staccato pings into the silence between them. This reversal of roles was interesting.

Kallian made the first move, reaching up to put her hands on Alistair's forearms, eyes trying to meet his.

"I can do…_things_…as a result of the potion, I think. While fighting Howe, I used stealth to dodge him, slipping into the shadows of the room, and it felt as though someone had cast a haste spell upon me. I moved more quickly and I felt far more…nimble."

"Maybe it was Wynne."

"No. I know what that feels like, Alistair, her spells are warm and they make me tingle when they aren't fixing broken bones. This was different. I don't really know how I did it, it just happened. But…when Howe cut me…" Kallian's voice trailed off and she shivered.

"I got angry. He was a despicable man who had done terrible, cruel and treasonous things, and what he was saying to me…I got angry and wanted to…force him away from me. My blood flowed out of the wounds and coated my blades, the taint within it infecting him. When it was over, I…I _pulled_ it back in?" She really didn't know.

"Wow." Alistair began to pace again. "I…you…" He stopped and shook his head. "We have no idea what this will do to you over the course of your life. Wynne said your health was deteriorating."

"Yes, there is that. My blood…_leaves_ me. It takes a bit of mental effort to…well, to stop it, to bring it back, I guess you could say, but after a time I am fine again."

Alistair was wincing. Zevran spoke. "It was something to see, that is certain. I suggest that you do this only when you are in good form, Kallian. If you call upon this ability while you are too weak to stop yourself, the consequences could be dire indeed."

"Thank you, Zevran. Did you know about this?" Alistair turned on him.

"Alistair, don't. He did not know about the potion." Kallian raked her fingers through her hair, making it an even wilder mess around her shoulders. "I am on a roll today. Zev, could you please give us some privacy?"

"Of course, amata." Zevran went to Kallian and took her hands in his, kissing her fingers. "You may just be crazy, we shall have to see. But remember what I said, bella. Siamo il tempo che abbiamo insieme."

When she looked at him with a puzzled expression, he leaned closer and whispered "Let us cherish the time we have together, yes?"

"Si, il mio amore, si."

Zevran nodded to Alistair and left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Kallian motioned to the chairs by the fire and sat down. Alistair followed, albeit more reluctantly.

"You talked to Anora about the possibility of my marrying her, didn't you?" He asked bluntly.

"Yes, I did. Look, this is going to sound rather underhanded. Frankly it is; who am I kidding? I want you to understand that regardless of what I tell Anora I will or will not do, I intend to continue to support Eamon and Teagan's efforts to put you on the throne."

He nodded, much more at ease with the idea it appeared.

"Having said that, if we can do both, with you as king and Anora as your queen, Ferelden would have that continuity, your blood on the throne, and you would have additional support as you learn to rule. She did tack on the condition that you allow _her_ to continue to rule as she has been, but whether or not you actually do is up to you."

"When did you learn about politics?"

"I have been paying attention, Alistair. You aren't saying much. What are your thoughts?"

He rubbed his hand over his hair and leaned back in his chair. "I have come to accept that this is…how it is. But I am not completely powerless. I know that now. Tell Anora I agree. We shall see how things progress from here."

"Wow. I had expected more of an argument from you, Alistair."

"Don't push your luck. I'm still mad at you."

"What, would you have taken the potion? Are you angry I didn't offer it to you? I am not mocking you; I am seriously asking you the question." Kallian folded her legs under her.

"No. I wouldn't have let you take it, either. I am angry that you did it at all, without discussion, without anyone else around to keep an eye on you." He sighed. "I had no idea you were such a crazy drunk."

She laughed out loud. "At least we still have a sense of humour. You are right; it was a crazy thing to do. I knew it the moment I did it, and to be honest with you I was scared to death for a while that something terrible would happen, but so far…I pray to the Maker nothing ever does. In spite of the one drawback we know of, you have to admit the new talents are pretty handy…right?" She smiled as brightly as she could and batted her eyelashes at him.

The glare Alistair threw at her was half hearted at best. He could not stay angry with her for long, especially when she was doing her best to look so cute and innocent. He snorted and stood up.

"Maybe. Go talk to Anora, she's expecting you."

"Right. How about afterwards we go to the Gnawed Noble for a drink?"

"I think we have established that you should not drink."

"Pfft. I'll buy you their cheese platter."

"Fine, be that way. Half an hour?"

"Yes. Get Zev and Leliana? The sooner she sees I am not a terrible monster, the better."

"Good luck with that."


	15. How Lucky Are We?

**Author's Note:** TYB4DAO. A shout out to Eva G. and Zevgirl – thank you for continuing to follow this. Questions I had after playing through as the city elf: How is it that the PC kills Vaughan but he turns up at the Landsmeet? And how is it that the alienage is locked up one second and open the next, when a so-called plague is still raging within? Am I expecting my fictional RPG Xbox game to be realistic? I think I'll just wrap this up with 'please review/comment'. Wouldn't want you to think I'm crazy...Good or bad, it's great that readers care enough to comment and super fun when they quote back the bits they like! Thank you.

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**How Lucky Are We?**

Half an hour had not been enough time. Lucius, who had been concerned about his mistress, had finally escaped the estate's kennels where he had been kept overnight. It took Kallian fifteen minutes to convince him to go with the kennel master, Patrick, back to the kennels for a bath.

"You will be able to sleep here with us tonight, puppy." She reasoned with him, giving his ears a good scratching. "Besides, I want your kaddis reapplied. Siege-Breaker, please. And could you send up a canvas sack of hay for a bed?" These last two comments were directed to Patrick.

The kennel master nodded and stepped out into the hall. Kallian waved a hand at Lucius, who huffed and brushed her leg as he left the room, unhappy he couldn't stay, but still hopelessly devoted to his mistress. He would endure the bath if it meant he could sleep on a bed of wolf pelts and be close to her.

She was still stiff and aching and struggled for a while trying to get into her armour and braid her hair before Zevran returned and helped her. Finally dressed, he hung their capes over his arm and walked her to Anora's room. Taking Kallian in his arms, Zevran kissed her passionately enough to make her face blush and her pulse race, then carried on to the great hall, grinning, without saying a word to her. Smoothing her hair and flapping a hand in front of her face for a few moments, she calmed herself and knocked on the door.

Kallian's meeting with Anora ran smoothly enough and was over rather quickly. Anora was surprised that Alistair had agreed to marry her, but seemed, on the whole, to feel that the course of action they were taking would be the best for Ferelden. Before Kallian departed, Anora passed her a scroll granting the party royal dispensation to travel freely throughout the city and the alienage. This was likely mostly for Kallian's benefit, and prior to her short stay at Fort Drakon, had hardly seemed necessary. The city guards had not paid the group much attention since they had arrived. Post Fort Drakon, things might be different, she wasn't sure and she tucked the scroll into her pack. The Queen's support for the Landsmeet assured, she descended to the great hall.

Zevran pulled her cloak around her shoulders. "It is cold and damp outside. And it might not hurt to try to conceal your identity while we are in public."

Leliana regarded Kallian somewhat cautiously at first, having been updated on the situation by Alistair, but seemed satisfied Kallian was the same person she'd always been.

"Good morning, Kallian." She nodded to her friend as they pulled their hoods on and linked arms.

"Alistair tells me you have a drinking problem." Leliana giggled lightly.

"In that I get quite foolhardy and drink magical mystery potions? Yes, I confess that was the case, once. _Once_. I am sorry if I caused you distress, Leliana. I shall try my best to never be so reckless again. These new abilities I have, however…"

Kallian repeated what she'd told Alistair and Zevran as they stepped out into the courtyard and walked to the Gnawed Noble. As a rogue, Leliana could appreciate the value of having additional stealth skills, but readily confessed to being rather ill at the thought of having to witness again what Kallian was now calling her 'tainted blades' trick. A promise of advance warning only made her poke Kallian in the arm.

The tavern wasn't very crowded and they sought out a table with privacy, in the room off to the left of the bar, away from the few people scattered about the place. Kallian paused to introduce herself to their Blackstone Irregulars contact before turning to give their order to a young serving girl who had followed them. As she headed back to the bar and kitchen, Kallian turned to her friends.

"I want to talk to the bartender, see what he's heard, and ask if there are any nobles around." The others nodded and began chatting as she wandered off.

"Excuse me, I wonder if you could provide me with some information?" Kallian asked the bartender.

"Certainly, stranger, what do you need?" He asked, leaning forward on the bar, his arms wide, hands spread out.

She leaned forward and spoke softly. "I am looking for any nobles who may be in town for the Landsmeet."

"Well, 'tis your lucky day, lass," he said, keeping his voice low and discretely pointing to a table at his left.

"That's Arl Bryland of South Reach and Bann Alfstanna of Waking Sea. Those two men behind you and closest to us are Bann Sighard, Dragon's Peak Bannorn and Bann Ceorlic, Southern Bannorn. Behind them is Arl Wulffe, of West Hill, poor bastard. I don't mean that literally, mind; he has suffered terrible losses. Bann Vaughan's dead these past eight, nine months now." He paused, wondering if he should say much more. Some people were touchy on the subject, but this girl was an elf and if she knew of the Bann at all, she would likely agree.

"Good riddance, I say, he was a right _nasty_ bugger. He ain't been replaced, what with the state of things and Howe taking over. Now that _he's_ dead…" He shrugged, having answered her question. He tried to make a practice of giving only that for which he was asked or paid. To do more or less could invite trouble one way or another.

Kallian shuddered slightly at the mention of Vaughan's name. "Thank you." She slipped the man fifty silver, suddenly feeling generous. "Listen, I don't suppose you'd know of any work available, legal or…otherwise?"

A smile spread across his face and he nodded. He looked around cautiously and slipped his hand into a pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. Sliding it along the counter, he waited until she reached out to take it before he turned and walked away. _So that's how we play this one_, she thought, curling the paper in her fist. She glanced around the tavern casually so she could see the men the bartender had mentioned, and then returned to sit with her friends. Their drinks had arrived and she drank deeply from her tankard before speaking.

"You are not going to believe this. This is great. Well, except for Arl Wulffe. West Hill has been lost to the Blight, I think. The bartender didn't say, but _really_..." They were all silent for a moment.

"Point is, everyone is here. Alfstanna, Bryland, Sighard, Ceorlic and Wulffe. Vaughan and Howe are dead…so that just leaves the Chantry, right?"

Alistair was looking at the ceiling, his eyes shifting back and forth, counting to himself for a moment. "Yes, I think so."

"Well, cheers to that," she replied, lifting her tankard in the air. The others followed suit, taking a swig as she did.

The young wench returned and placed a tray of bread, cheese, dried meat and apples in front of them, retreating after making sure they were satisfied for the moment.

"So, we talk to these folks and then what?" Alistair asked between mouthfuls of cheese.

"I guess we go to the alienage," Kallian sighed, taking a chunk out of an apple. After a few moments, she swallowed and had a sip of ale. "I must confess I am rather conflicted about returning home, but Vaughan's…_donation_ will do some good, I am sure of it. I…I just hope everyone is okay."

Zevran reached out to put a hand on her leg while Alistair and Leliana nodded. She had explained the significance of the forty sovereigns she had taken from Vaughan's room.

"That brings up the matter of who to take with me. You, Alistair, and Wynne. Never know when you might need a templar trained soldier and a good healer who can throw boulders around. Leliana, I would normally bring you along, but I think I need Zevran on this one."

"Oh, I understand." The bard said, dismissing any concerns Kallian may have had with a wave of her hand. "Besides, his lock picking skills have improved greatly." She had been teaching him in exchange for pointers on poison making.

They ate for a while longer in silence, and when they had finished off their food and ale, they returned to the main section of the tavern, noting that all the nobles were still seated. Kallian settled their tab with the bartender and nodded toward the table where Bann Alfstanna was sitting.

"Zev, Leliana, why don't you wait outside for us? I don't want to overwhelm these people." The rogues nodded, Zevran stopping to plant a quick kiss on Kallian's lips before they slipped out into the street. Taking a deep breath and smoothing her hair, Kallian nodded to Alistair.

Bann Alfstanna was telling Arl Bryland that she was concerned for her brother, as she had not heard from him in months, which seemed the perfect time to interrupt them.

"Excuse me, milady," Kallian interjected. "Might I speak with you for a moment?"

"May I help you?"

"I was asked to give you this ring, milady." Kallian handed Irminric's ring to Alfstanna, whose brow creased as she took it and examined it.

With a gasp, she whispered "This…is Irminric's. Explain yourself. He would no more part with this ring than with his head."

"He needs your help," Kallian began.

Cutting her off, Alfstanna leaned forward. "He's alive then? _Please_, if you have any news of my brother, I would hear it." She gestured to Alistair and Kallian to sit down.

"Thank you, milady. I am Kallian, a Grey Warden. This is Alistair Theirin." Alistair made a slightly disapproving sound at that, but smiled as Alfstanna nodded to them both, clearly not overly concerned to discover she was sitting with a pair who had been branded criminals and regicides.

"Your brother is in the dungeon of the Arl of Denerim's estate. Loghain captured him months ago after taking a suspected blood mage from his custody. I saw him…yesterday? The day before?" She looked to Alistair for confirmation.

"Yesterday."

Kallian nodded and continued. "I opened his cell, but could not convince him to leave. He is in dire straights, suffering from lyrium withdrawl and hunger, and is feeling a great deal of guilt over his supposed failure to deliver the maleficar to Kinloch Hold."

Alfstanna was shocked. "The dungeon? What? I will go to him at once. Someone will answer for this." After a moment's consideration, she pulled an amulet from within her armour and held it out to Kallian. "Take this in thanks. It has been with my family for generations, crafted for us by the Circle of Magi."

Kallian began to object, but Alfstanna reached for her hand and pressed the amulet into it, folding her fingers around it. "An heirloom is a small thing compared to my brother's life. I cannot thank you enough for this. Excuse me."

The four of them stood and exchanged handshakes, wishing each other good luck before Alistair and Kallian stepped aside to let Bryland and Alfstanna pass. Alistair nodded to Bann Sighard with raised eyebrows. Kallian smiled and began walking toward Sighard and Ceorlic.

As they approached, Bann Sighard spotted them and began to protest. "Whoever you are, I…" His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Kallian.

"Wait, I know you. My son described you in great detail. He tells me that I owe you his life."

Kallian introduced Alistair and herself and Sighard gestured for them to sit.

"Thank you, milord." She sat next to him and faced him. "I would leave no man to suffer at Howe's hands. I only wish we could have done more for him."

Sighard shook his head, his face grim. "When I saw my poor boy's legs…I only wish Howe still lived so I could tear him apart myself. I would bring troops against his son, but Oswyn tells me Thomas had no part in his depravity."

He took Kallian's hands in his. "Is there anything you would ask as a reward for saving Oswyn?"

"Milord, all I would ask is that you speak out against Loghain."

He nodded. "Thank you again. Know that I will stand beside you at the Landsmeet with all the support I can muster. In fact, I am taking my supper this evening with Bann Reginelda of the White River Bannorn. I shall speak with her at once."

Patting her hand, he and Bann Ceorlic stood and took their leave of them. Ceorlic gave them both a disapproving look before slipping out of the tavern. Alistair shrugged when Kallian raised an eyebrow.

"Friend of Loghain's? We can't be so lucky as to not face any opposition at all, can we?"

The conversation with Arl Wulffe did not go nearly as well. West Hills had indeed succumbed to the darkspawn hordes and the poor man was rightfully depressed about his lot in life. Unfortunately, this meant he was not at all receptive to their company. Kallian and Alistair left the tavern just in time to catch Zevran and Leliana coming out of The Wonders of Thedas, the former commenting sadly that it was not a house of ill repute as he had thought.

Kallian stopped in her tracks. _This dead end again._ "I think this is where the Wardens' warehouse is."

Walking to the end of the alley, she paused to recall her conversation with Riordan and walked to an unmarked door. Listening for a moment and taking a quick look around to see if anyone would see them, she pulled her lock picks out of her braid and opened the door, peeking in. A warehouse, filled with crates and barrels, a door into another room opposite them. "Hello."

They slipped inside and closed the door behind them. "Why don't you three see what you can find here? I'm going to look for the vault."

She found it behind a shelf, just as Riordan had said. Using the combination he had given her, she let herself in and began to dig around.

Zevran heard her first, barely audible. "Alistair?" He turned to see that the bastard prince had not heard.

"Alistair, Kallian is calling for you."

The three of them had found all there was to find and went into the next room to see a bookshelf pulled away from the wall to reveal the Warden vault. Stepping down into the vault, they saw Kallian, off to the right near a weapons rack, holding a shield.

"Alistair, could you come here for a moment?" She whispered.

"What is it, Kallian? What's wrong?" She looked up at him, face streaked with tears, and pressed the shield into his hands.

Slightly alarmed, Alistair looked down to inspect what she had handed to him.

"This…shield, it's…it's Duncan's, isn't it? That's his crest." He was stunned.

"I thought you might want it, to remember him by." She replied, her voice tight with grief.

Tears welled up in Alistair's eyes and he struggled to maintain his composure. "Thank you, truly. I had no idea his shield wasn't with him. This is perfect. I don't know how else to express my gratitude. This means a great deal to me. I can't believe you remembered…" He had to stop talking, his throat was closing up.

Kallian's voice cracked. "Of course I remembered."

Alistair pulled her into a hug. "I'll treasure this, _thank you_."

She choked back a sob and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "We should go."

They turned to find Leliana clinging to Zevran's arm, moved to tears herself when she realized the significance of the shield. She had accompanied the Wardens and Wynne when they had returned to Ostagar to reclaim King Cailen's armour and important documents, and had helped them build a funeral pyre for Cailen. She had been deeply moved by the experience and hoped that she would never experience the depth of grief her three companions suffered then. Zevran smiled sadly and shrugged, nodding toward the front of the warehouse.

"Come, my friends. Let us return to the Arl's estate, hmm?"

He reached out for Kallian's hand, which she gratefully held. Alistair took one final look around the vault and followed his companions back through the market.


	16. The Trial of the Trial of the Crows

**Author's Note:** Thank you Bioware. In my games, I did this quest _before_ killing Howe, and didn't have time to do the research (read: I'm lazy), but the gist of it is Paedan won't fight the PC if Howe is dead, so...Too bad for him that mine isn't wielding the broken sword today! There was more to this, but no end in sight, so I made the decision to end this chapter between scenes, if you will. Please read and review!

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**The Trial of the Trial of the Crows**

Zevran and Kallian walked back to their room in silence, having left Leliana outside to spar with some of the Arl's soldiers. Alistair had decided it was time to speak to Anora about their betrothal and wandered off to find her after learning she was in the kitchens supervising arrangements for dinner that evening. Kallian was sitting on the bed next to Zevran, wondering what to do next, when she remembered she had put the bartender's note into her pack without reading it. Retrieving it, she unfolded it and laughed after a moment.

"Unbelievable. And you people thought I was nuts keeping all those damn love letters I'd found during our travels. Turns out somebody _wants_ them." When Zevran raised an eyebrow in curiosity and propped himself up next to her, she handed him the note and explained she had accepted the job from the bartender at the Gnawed Noble.

"A job for "R"?" Zevran asked, handing it back.

Kallian was now rooting through one of her many backpacks, half listening and talking to herself. "Mm-hmm. Where…? Huh. Ah hah." She pulled out a small bundle of letters, bound together with a strip of leather, counting them quickly before putting the bundle into the smaller pack she used daily.

"I'll just run these back over there now. Easy. Why don't you and Leliana round up Sten and Oghren and start selling the armour we no longer use. I think she said there were numerous jobs on the Chanter's board and it might be worth it for the others to work on some of those while we're in the alienage." She sighed, mixed emotions passing through her.

Zevran stood and put his arms around her, resting his forehead against hers. "And when would you like to go to the alienage?"

"I can't put it off any longer. We should go there first thing tomorrow morning." He nodded.

"You'll meet my father, you know." She smiled sadly.

"I had thought of that, yes."

"Are you nervous?"

"Should I be?" He pulled back from her to look her in the eye. Mischief glittered there.

Giggling, she shook her head. "I am. Father was hoping I'd settle down, put all this rogue nonsense behind me and have babies. And now…well, he might be disappointed."

"His little girl is putting an end to civil wars, killing demons and darkspawn, and generally saving the world from evil. How could he not be proud?" Zevran grinned broadly and kissed her.

She pulled away from him before they became too aroused. "All right. Let's take care of business and meet back here for dinner and a campfire. Could you let the others know?"

"Of course, mia cara."

xXx

Stepping back out into the market, Kallian returned to the Gnawed Noble. Zevran, Leliana, Sten and Oghren followed within ten minutes, as Zevran had the good fortune to find the three of them together and near the armoury. They each gathered up a set of armour and headed out, passing along Kallian's message to Alistair. Oghren had reacquainted himself with a fellow dwarf from Orzammar named Gorim, and headed in his direction with Sten, the two of them carrying dwarven armour. Leliana and Zevran turned toward Master Wade's. Within minutes, business was concluded and the two rogues returned to the market.

Zevran caught sight of Kallian on the opposite side of the market, near the tavern. She was speaking to a merchant, a taller man, nearly bald wearing a simple tunic over a long-sleeved linen shirt and leather leggings. Zevran squinted in the sun, which chose that moment to make a rare appearance, and thought his heart might stop. A quick glance at a man standing behind the first confirmed his suspicions. The first was Master Ignacio, a Crow; the second, his associate Cesar. Kallian's hands were out in front of her, palms up. He had seen her do this many times. _Is there anything I can do to help?_ He cringed. Ignacio was smiling, shrugging, his hands out in a similar fashion. _Not now, but who knows?_ They were shaking hands, she was turning toward Zevran.

"Leliana, I would like to speak with Kallian privately. Do you mind?" He could see Ignacio walking toward the tavern, stopping a young boy.

"Of course not, my friend." She waved to Kallian before joining Sten and Oghren.

Kallian looked up and saw Zevran watching her from across the marketplace. He was hard to miss, standing as he was in a fleeting patch of sunlight. His blonde hair shone and his bronze skin looked delicious, she thought, her body suddenly aching for him. He was not smiling and she realized he would have seen her speaking to the merchant. _I should have known better; this isn't how I wanted to tell him._

She reached out for Zevran's hand as she neared him, but he pulled back, eyeing her suspiciously. "That man you were talking to. Do you know who he is?" Ignacio was giving the young boy something, pointing over his shoulder in their direction.

Kallian sighed. "Yes. His name is Master Ignacio, he's from Antiva, and I assume he is a Crow given some of the things he said during our conversation and now your reaction. I was thinking…"

Zevran cut her off, stepping close and gripping her wrist, his voice low. "You were thinking what, that you might do an odd job or two for the Crows? To what end? _Money?_ Trust me. We do not need money so badly that we should take up with Crows, Kallian. He knows who I am; he could make trouble for us."

He was further irritated by the fact that he was actually crouching down slightly to hide behind Kallian, not wanting the master to see him. Ignacio, however, was continuing on to the tavern, and hadn't looked back.

Kallian frowned. "Zev, he might be able to help us in return, you and me personally."

He was incredulous. "You have questioned what I do for a living and now you would undertake that very thing? He will ask you to _assassinate_ people."

"Yes, I rather figured as much. _Zev_," her voice lowered. "you're hurting my…"

The young boy Zevran had seen Ignacio speaking to ran up to them, a piece of paper in his outstretched hand. "Message for you, miss."

"Who…"

The boy shook his head, slipping the paper into her free hand. "More to deliver. 'Bye!" With that, he ran off, dodging shoppers, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Kallian shook herself free from Zevran's grasp and read the note, crumpling it up and stuffing it into her pack when she was done. She looked to where she had been speaking with Ignacio and turned back to Zevran. "He wants to meet me at the tavern. He has a room there."

She was looking at him with fire in her eyes, all but challenging him to stop her from going, something he found arousing, he was annoyed to discover. Shaking his head, he sighed, gesturing for her to go. He followed, not willing to let her go into this foolishness alone, but he would get one last word in.

"I think it is possible you might be taking 'by any means necessary' a little too far."

xXx

Kallian knocked on the door, waiting. After a moment, Master Ignacio opened it a crack and then stepped back, gesturing for her to enter.

Ignacio greeted Kallian, shaking her hand, and completely ignored Zevran. "You are here about the note? Maybe we have some things we can talk about." Ignacio stroked her hand with his thumb before letting it go, a flirtatious smile on his face.

Zevran was practically vibrating, he was so angry. "Just see the conversation stays civil. If this is a trap…"

Ignacio looked over Kallian's shoulder. "Zevran is it? You were Taliesin's responsibility. Other Crows may try to kill you, but in my eyes you are already dead, so you are of no notice." His gaze shifted back to Kallian. "But the _Warden_ here, she is of great interest to me."

The way he said it, Kallian figured he might mean it in more ways than one and she felt a little bit dirty. "Ah…you tried to kill me."

"I cannot stress enough that _I_ was not hired to do anything. An associate of mine was and he has failed. Failed _badly_."

Zevran snorted. "I'd like to see _you_ do any better."

"Hey! I'm standing _right_ here." She shot him a look full of arrows.

It was Ignacio's turn to laugh. "Do you take me for a fool? That is a contract I would _never_ take." He made a dismissive noise and turned his eyes back to Kallian. "The client can always hire more help if the job isn't done the first time, but I am hoping we can make sure that doesn't happen."

This pulled Kallian's attention back to the older Antivan. "Zevran, is this true?"

He sighed. "I have only heard of the one time the entire House of Crows was hired for a job. A princely sum changed hands and an entire noble family died. Not a soul survived. Ignacio has the right of it. Generally it is one master, one job."

She considered this for a moment. At the very least, if she helped Ignacio, he would likely not accept a contract to come after her and might have influence with other masters. From what Zevran had told her, masters would regularly stab each other in the back, figuratively and literally, so alliances could be fleeting, but it was worth a shot. Resolved, she nodded.

"I'm listening."

"Ferelden is a busy place: Blight, civil war, other mayhem. Lots of people not getting along. Sometimes they really don't get along. Maybe want to do something about it. The people who handle that sort of thing can get real busy."

_The Crows are contracting outside help?_ "Go on."

"It takes time to do a good job – pride in your work and all – but customers have expectations. Not many people you can turn to if you're short-staffed in some lines of work. So…someone who's crossed our path and lived…well, maybe they could help out, make some coin. Everyone wins."

Kallian nodded, feeling Zevran bristling behind her. It was annoying her, to say the least. She tipped her head up to look at the ceiling and then back down to Ignacio. "So how does this work then?"

He smiled. "I hand you a scroll. You read it, you learn about someone interesting. If you find out something happens to him, something unfortunate, if we talk again I give you money for 'letting me know'."

Ignacio shrugged. "You don't like what's on the scroll, don't do anything. Maybe he has an accident and someone else tells me all about it."

"If I do this for you, I want no more Crows after me." She thought this might be a tad bold, but figured it was worth trying.

Ignacio shook his head slightly. "That I cannot do. One master has a contract on you. But, if you help us out, maybe if that master asks for help he will just get silence, yes?" As she had suspected. _Good enough._

Kallian looked at the floor, first at her own feet, then at Zevran's. He was tapping his left foot impatiently. She had known this would not go over well. Making a decision, she looked Ignacio in the eye and stuck her hand out. "Hand me the scroll."

"There you go. Makes for fine reading."

Zevran broke his silence. "You are a cautious little weasel, Ignacio. What's your angle? If you are playing us false…"

"My dance is not for you." Ignacio cut him off. "I need to be real…_honest_ sometimes. I can say I haven't asked anyone to do anything, I have just given someone something interesting to read."

"And you think that will save your hide when they come to nail it to a wall?"

Ignacio had been fairly pleasant until now, but his tone sharpened. "You are already dead in my eyes, _whoreson_. Take care that I don't 'learn' otherwise." Turning back to Kallian and speaking in a much kinder tone, he continued. "If that is all, luck be to you."

"Thank you, Master Ignacio." Kallian bowed her head to him and turned to leave, pushing Zevran out in front of her.

Not stopping to look back, she guided them both out of the Gnawed Noble and back into the market, where she stopped to read the scroll.

"Pfft. A bounty hunter working for Howe, by the name of Paedan." She read a bit more and laughed.

"Ignacio knew I'd come. He has added a personal note for my benefit. It seems this Paedan fellow was ordered to try to lure us to his location under the guise of being an underground support network for the Grey Wardens. The goal being to kill us, of course. He is accompanied by an elven assassin named Shaevra and a qunari warrior. So, the Crows, who were hired to kill me, are hiring me to kill someone who was hired to kill me. That makes my head hurt." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I wonder why they want him dead?"

What do you think?" She looked up from the scroll to find Zevran standing with one hand on his hip; the other balled into a fist and pressed to his mouth. "What is it?"

His eyes widened in mock surprise. "You're asking me what I think _now_? Why couldn't you have done this _before_ you asked Ignacio if he needed help?"

Zevran mimicked her, arms out, palms up, a cheerful look on his face. "'_Can I help?'_ So predictable."

"You know, Zev, you're really starting to annoy me. Are you going to help me out or not?"

He took a few deep breaths and looked around the market before turning his attention back to Kallian. "So. You are doing this, then?"

"This one, at least, certainly. Not only is this guy supposed to be trying to kill Alistair and me, he might be robbing or killing any supporters who might actually show up thinking this is real. I can't have that on my conscience."

"Fine, but remember this: If the master doesn't _tell_ you, do not ask why the Crows want a mark dead. How do we find this Paedan?"

"He's apparently got flyers up around the market." Kallian was slowly scrutinizing the outer walls of the market area and spotted a poster near the gate to the alienage. "Let's go."

Zevran shook his head and followed her.

xXx

"The griffons will rise again." Kallian tried not to snicker as she muttered the password.

She and Zevran stood outside a room at the Pearl, poisoned blades in hand, ready to confront Paedan.

The lock clicked open and a voice called out "Come in, quickly."

Zevran opened the door and they stepped in as a human male asked "Another Grey Warden supporter, Shaevra?" He was too engrossed in polishing his boots to look up.

Shaevra stood beside him, the Qun leaning up against the well behind her. "Not just a supporter, Paedan. That's a Grey Warden. She's the one Arl Howe was looking for."

Paedan looked up and took a step back upon seeing Kallian in a defensive stance with daggers in her hands, Zevran behind her similarly postured. "Look, I've got no issue with you now, Warden."

Kallian relaxed and straightened up. "Oh, really?" She looked back and forth between the elf and the human. "Well, _that's_ a relief, to be sure. But, ah…tell me. You have these flyers all over the city, telling Warden supporters to come here. What do you do if people take the bait, hmm?"


	17. Can We Kiss and Make Up?

**Author's Note:** I don't know why, but this chapter has been really hard to write. The Dreaded Block hit me and I'm not entirely certain I'm happy with what I've got here, but it is finally time to move on to the alienage. People need saving! Naughty bits at the end…Thank you to all those who have added me to favorites/alerts lists; I get such a kick out of that! I have been over this numerous times and might have missed words or left half finished sentences, as sometimes happens with obsessive editing. Please feel free to comment and review and point out any errors you might find. Cheers!

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**Can We Kiss and Make Up?**

"That was sloppy. It lacked style, finesse, and even the tiniest shred of _subtlety_. We have been gone for hours now..." He continued muttering, but Kallian was trying her best to shut him out.

Zevran hadn't said much to her during the encounter at the Pearl, or thereafter, keeping silent until they were back in the estate's courtyard. Now he was nattering on about how unprofessional and disorganized she had been, as though she were a Crow in training. She couldn't help remembering how Shianni would smack Soris on the back of the head when he said or did something really stupid. Kallian was surprised to find herself tempted to do the same thing to Zevran. She didn't think it went that badly. True, they probably could have done better than to kill three people in a busy brothel in the middle of the day, but they could have done worse. Quite surprisingly they had managed to keep the mess to a minimum with reasonably clean kills and were able to clean themselves up before leaving.

When they were ready to leave Paedan's room, however, Zevran had excused himself and slipped out, returning within minutes in the company of a beautiful woman named Isabela, someone with whom he was _very_ well acquainted, apparently. Captain of the pirate ship _The Siren's Call_, he said. Shortly thereafter, as Isabela fawned over Zevran and they chatted about their _past_, Kallian decided she would not be speaking to him for a while. The pirate captain helped them arrange for the disposal of the bodies and slipped them out the back while making sure Sanga received some silver to cover any damages.

Many thoughts ran through Kallian's mind as she and Zevran made their way along the docks and through back alleyways toward the estate, specifically what exactly this Isabela woman had meant to him followed closely by whether or not she had the right to ask. She had been spectacularly annoyed with Zevran, but had tried to hide it. They were in a brothel, with three dead bodies at their feet, Maker help them, and there he was, perfectly happy to see Isabela and catch up, as friendly toward her as she was to him…Kallian tried to get the image of Isabela squeezing Zevran's arm while stroking his face out of her mind. _This is ridiculous,_ she realized with a start. _This is _jealousy_ speaking. _The realization only served to fuel her sudden insecurities and she realized she really didn't have anyone with whom she could discuss this sort of thing, making her all the more annoyed with Zevran. He was still talking as they entered the main hall of the estate and she finally stopped walking, turning to face him.

"Maker's breath, please stop! It is done, over with. All this chatter changes nothing and only serves to annoy me and _I am not talking you_!"

It suddenly occurred to her that they were not alone and she was nearly yelling at him. Alistair and Wynne were nearby speaking with Arl Eamon, and Oghren and Sten were headed toward the market with more surplus armour and weapons. Everyone was staring at Kallian.

A butler had appeared to offer his services and Kallian was quick to accept. Turning toward the second floor, she muttered an apology to the group as she went. Ignoring everyone in their path, she walked straight to their room, taking off various pieces of armour as she went, handing them to the butler. Helm, gloves, boots, until she was in nothing but her tunic and leggings. Leaving her at the door to her room, the butler promised to return the armour, cleaned, before the end of the evening and scurried back downstairs. She slipped inside and closed the door, knowing full well Zevran was only a few paces behind her. He entered quietly.

"Why exactly aren't you speaking to me?" He asked, beginning to remove his armour.

She snorted in response and busied herself with washing her hands and face. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"I am sorry I was harsh with you over this Paedan business. We could have taken time to do it differently, but given the circumstances the job went well enough," he offered. Kallian shrugged in response.

Zevran sighed. "Isabela, is it? You are jealous?"

Kallian had slipped behind the dressing screen in the corner and was stripping down to change into the green dress Isolde had given to her.

"I am _not_ jealous. I…oh, never mind."

Zevran appeared beside her, making her jump. "She and I were once lovers, but that is in the past. A past you said did not bother you," he reminded her gently.

"That was before it walked its beautiful self in and fell all over you right in front of me." She was pouting, she could feel it, and she wanted to smack _herself_ upside the head.

Zevran was chuckling to himself. "Isabela has her charms, but _you_, my dear, are a deadly sex goddess! As for me, I may be a thief and an assassin, but outside of those professions, I am neither a liar nor a cheat. Come, look at me."

He reached out to help her pull the dress down over her hips and took her hand in his, tugging on her arm gently. Her eyes met his, shimmering with tears. He produced a kerchief from a pocket and handed it to her.

"Can you learn to trust me with your heart, as I must you, or do you wish to reconsider our relationship?" While he appeared calm, he was apprehensive as he waited for her answer.

It came by way of her throwing her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he embraced her.

"I did not mean to suggest you were dishonest…Zev, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I…I just…"

He shook his head. "Bella, earlier in the day I would have gladly separated Ignacio from his hand for the way he held and caressed yours, yet I gave no thought to how you might feel when meeting Isabela. For this I owe you an apology." He leaned back and took her chin in his hand.

Kallian was chewing on her lip, frowning, as she dried her eyes. "No…well, okay, _yes_. Ignacio was being a bit creepy but he was very subtle about it. He didn't drape himself all over me and stroke my face while going over _old times_."

"And I am sorry. You have made your point. We are good, yes?"

She smiled coyly, nodding toward the bed. "I don't know. Perhaps you can make it up to me later this evening." She pulled away from him to fetch a clean shirt and britches for him to wear.

Zevran laughed. "What, is that a _punishment_? You might want to rethink this before I start deliberately upsetting you several times a day."

He pulled her back into his arms when he had finished dressing. "Are you sure you are feeling recovered from your ordeal?"

The concern she saw in his eyes at that moment made her weak in the knees. "Oh yes, Zev. I may not be as _flexible_ as I would be otherwise, but I am feeling pretty good."

"Glad I am to hear it. As much as I should like to ravish you right now, a good meal is in order. You have not eaten since the pub and even then you did not eat much."

She nodded. "Yes, I am famished, now that you mention it."

xXx

They walked to the great hall slowly, arms around each other, discussing, _of all things_ Zevran thought to himself, their relationship. It seemed a strange thing to him that in such a short time he could go from rejecting all notions of love and wishing for death to finding love again and imagining a future for himself. Yet there it was, and he told Kallian as much. They would face challenges, to be certain. The Crows would very likely come for them eventually, the threat of death hung over them daily due to Loghain's machinations and the blight, and his past was likely to pop up on occasion, depending on where they travelled. Thankfully, he had killed a great deal of it, but he did not think it necessary to remind Kallian of this.

Zevran stopped them short of entering the great hall. "Know that I would never hurt you, Kallian, or allow anyone else to hurt you. On this you have my word."

A vision of Zevran, on bended knee with his dagger to the throat of the last man who had tried to harm her came to mind, accompanied with the memory of the sound of the dagger dragging along the man's throat, his last breath gurgling forth. She did not doubt Zevran one bit on this matter.

"If it isn't one thing, it shall be another, Zev, but I would gladly weather these challenges with you, whatever fate awaits us."

They were locked in an embrace, kissing, when footsteps approached.

Morrigan's icy tone cut through the air. "Do you not have a room in which you can engage in this…_touching_?"

"He he, good on ya, kid." Oghren slapped Zevran on the back on his way into the great hall. "Kiss and make up."

xXx

After an excellent meal of roasted pig, vegetables, bread, and a variety of pickles and cheeses, Zevran offered to take Lucius to their room and make a bed for him while the others went to the library. Kallian wanted to get an update on everyone's progress and their list of jobs before preparing for their trip to the alienage the next morning. She had provided Eamon and Teagan with a brief update of their progress with the nobles and they were greatly relieved to hear it, although it did little to ease Eamon's disappointment over the loss of West Hills.

"I think our best chance of success in winning Wulffe's support will be to raise the _blight_ as Ferelden's primary concern right now. Loghain's obsession with Orlais is misplaced and completely ludicrous in the face of the darkspawn threat," Kallian had said, punctuating her point by stabbing the air in front of her with a half-eaten chunk of bread wrapped around some meat and cheese.

"I apologize for my terrible table manners, my lords." The others laughed and proceeded to devour what was left of the meal amid a great deal of chatter. Even Morrigan seemed in good spirits and agreeable with the company.

Kallian and Alistair walked to the library together, the latter wanting to know if she was feeling okay.

"Ah…in general or do you mean my little outburst earlier? Yes, and I am sorry about that. It was nothing, just my own foolishness. My disposition is greatly improved."

"Yes," Alistair replied dryly. "Zev told me about your afternoon excursion. While I am glad that you took care of a group of criminals who threatened innocents, I have to agree with him. This association with the Crows could be a bad idea."

"Oh, you've gone from rivals to friends and co-conspirators, hmm?"

Alistair blushed slightly. "_Nooo_, no, but you could say we have found common ground and come to an understanding, I suppose."

"You called him Zev."

"Ah…you got me there." He pushed the library door open and stepped back to let Kallian enter.

She sighed. "Considering we had to pay some coin to Sanga, and Ignacio doesn't pay _cash_, it might be more trouble than it's worth. I would have liked to know that before hand, really, but I have been given leeway to turn assignments down if I find them objectionable." She shrugged. "My hope is that the Crows, or as many masters as possible at any rate, will leave Zev and me alone."

Alistair stirred the fire and added a log. "You really are happy."

"Yes. I certainly never expected that this would happen, least of all with a hired assassin. We barely know each other, truly, but I would not change it for the world. In all of this madness, I think we deserve all the happiness we can get, all of us." She looked into the fire.

"Who would have thought? I can hear it now." She pretended to be two people having a conversation. "'Sooo…how did you two meet?' 'Well, that's a funny story. Zev had been hired to kill me, but failed, and quite spectacularly I might add.' Makes for an interesting introduction, at any rate. Father will be pleased." They both laughed at that.

Others had begun to wander into the library, helping themselves to drink. Zevran was the last, complaining that Lucius had insisted Zev procure some dried meat treats and a bone for him before leaving him again. The hay and wolf pelt bed had gone over exceedingly well.

The team assembled, Kallian got down to the business of finding out how the potion, poison and bomb production was going and responses all around were encouraging. The sale of surplus weapons and armour was progressing slowly, but was adding to their purse. Everyone had passed along to their allies all the runes, gems and crafting materials they could spare, and coin was being paid to Arl Eamon's men to ensure they would be well-stocked by the time they faced the arch demon.

On the matter of further work for their varied network of 'employers', the Chanter's board had two jobs available. One was simply to deal with bands of criminals running around the back alleys of Denerim. The other, however, was more interesting. The Chantry had information on Loghain's troop movements and wanted someone to investigate. It would require a few days' of travel to the west and back.

"Anything we can do to put a thorn in Loghain's side has to be a good thing, don't you think? Oghren, Sten, could you look into that? Take Leliana and Morrigan with you for additional support?"

There was the usual grumbling from Morrigan, and Sten complained that their time would be better spent killing darkspawn. Leliana was agreeable to the task, if not the company, but remained positive. Oghren was happy to simply have the chance to get out and maybe kill something. Kallian did not give in and reassured Sten that this course of action would help them defeat the darkspawn. At that moment, a servant arrived with a tray of baked goods, most notably a pile of cookies that distracted Sten, allowing the conversation to move forward.

Leliana reported that Sergeant Kylon of the Denerim City Guard was having problems with his own men and was looking for help with various matters around the city. She had also managed to collect on a few jobs as a result of the visit to Howe's estate. Generally it seemed there was enough going on to keep them all busy for a while.

"Okay, great. Make sure you're all well stocked with supplies before you go and take some coin, too, in case you need it. Wynne, Zevran, Alistair and maybe even Lucius will go with me to the alienage tomorrow, and we'll see you all in a few days." She stood to leave, but paused.

"Um, I would just like to say that I am really grateful to all of you for staying on to help Alistair and me. I cannot imagine where we'd be right now if it were just the two of us. Well, actually I suppose I can and it certainly wouldn't be pretty. Look what I'm working with." She nodded to Alistair.

"Hey!" Alistair protested while the others laughed.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

Leliana and Wynne were teary eyed as they said good night to Kallian. The others drifted by, gripping her hand or clapping her on the shoulder as they passed. Morrigan simply looked Kallian in the eye and nodded very briefly before ducking out. Zevran watched her go and slipped his arm around Kallian's waist.

"I am surprised she did not say something sarcastic about how pointless sentiment is," he whispered into Kallian's ear, in case Morrigan was still within ear shot.

Zevran's breath on Kallian's ear sent a thrill of pleasure through her, which did not go unnoticed. "Ah, my dear, we have plans now, do we not?" He licked the tip of her ear, causing her to gasp.

Turning to face him, she wound her fingers into his hair and pulled his face to hers, kissing him. "We do."

xXx

Zevran and Kallian barely made it into their room before she was pulling at Zevran's shirt. He reached for her wrists and shook his head.

"In a moment, mia cara. We have a friend with us who is anxious to see you."

Kallian turned to see Lucius sitting on his bed, looking a tad put out that she hadn't noticed him. "Oh, puppy, I'm sorry!" With that she fell to one knee and hugged Lucius when he made his way over to her. He looked quite ridiculous as his hind quarters wagged back and forth with happiness.

Zevran rolled his eyes. The mabari was hardly a puppy, weighing more than both of them combined and looking bigger than Kallian, crouched down as she was. After a few minutes of ear scratching and cooing things like 'Who's a good boy? Who's my favourite mabari?', Kallian led him back to his bed and nudged the remains of a beef bone toward him.

After quickly washing her hands, she turned to Zevran, who was stoking the fire and went to him. Running her fingers through his hair, she stroked the edges of his ears. Moaning, he stood and embraced her, breathing in the scent of her.

"Where were we?" She purred.

"I believe you were pawing at me like a wonton harlot, my dear Warden, but I would like the honours, if I may."

The sound of his voice, his warm breath across her neck and the heat of his body made her flush with desire. She nodded and he pulled her dress up past her hips and over her head, draping it on a nearby chair. Zevran took her face in his hands and kissed her. His touch was light at first, teasing, and then it became more demanding. His tongue possessed her, his teeth nibbled at her lips. Breathless, her hunger for him growing, she slipped her hands under his tunic, letting them roam across his stomach. Inching upward, she took his nipples in her fingers and squeezed them, pulling a hoarse groan from Zevran's throat. As he pulled back from her, she pushed his tunic over his head and began working on getting his britches off. Kicking them away from his feet, Zevran grabbed Kallian by the waist and pulled her up into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Mmm, my little minx. You are impatient, yes?"

She responded with a small whimper as she kissed him again. "I want you, need you." She nibbled her way down his neck, speaking between bites. "You taste delicious, feel divine. Mmph, I'm so…_horny_." She wriggled herself against him.

Zevran laughed out loud. "I do not think I have ever heard you say that before. Would you like me to _fuck_ you, mia cara?" He whispered this into her ear, then dragged his tongue along its edge and down her throat.

Kallian thought she might faint, she was so overwhelmed with pleasure. Her head tipped back, her fingers dug into his shoulders and she let out a moan that Zevran thought might undo him. The warmth emanating from her groin was enough to drive him mad. He walked them over to the bed and put her down. Small clothes hastily discarded, they were finally naked and Kallian reached out and pulled him down onto the bed with her. They lay there for a moment, bodies pressed together, and Kallian listened to his heart pounding in his chest. It was strong, comforting, and she kissed the pulse points at his neck.

Zevran caught her mouth up in another kiss and their tongues played back and forth, each exploring the other's mouth feverishly. His hand fanned out over her belly and slid lower until it rested between her legs. "Yes," she panted, writhing beneath him. "_Please_." Keeping his eyes on hers, he slid his fingers into her sex, delighted to find her already slick with her juices. Even more delightful was the expression on her face as he entered her. Her eyelids grew heavy, her lips parted to form a small 'o', and she gasped with pleasure, undulating her hips against the movement of his hand. He slid down her body and pushed her legs up so he could suckle that wondrous bud of pleasure while continuing to tease her with his fingers. Crying out, Kallian wound her fingers into his hair and rocked her hips up.

Zevran was grinning as he pulled away from her, leaving her on the edge of climax, and he hovered over her again for a moment. She was flushed, her lips swollen from kissing, her hair a mass of curls framing her face and she looked even more beautiful. Her eyes flew open and he chose that moment to press his body to hers and slide his erection into her. Her back arched, hips undulated again, and he felt her muscles closing around him.

"Uhn…Maker's breath, Zevran, yes." A familiar warmth was blossoming deep within her and spreading out and then she was shuddering and screaming as she gave over to the waves of pleasure that rippled through her.

"Harder, harder!" She gasped.

Zevran gripped her shoulders and complied, thrusting into her with more force for a while before rolling them over so she was on top. She manoeuvred herself into a more comfortable position and smiled down at him. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she pulled his hands to her hips and rode him with abandon until she was again in the grips of an orgasm. This time, Zevran's self control left him and he held her to him, pushing up into her as his seed gushed forth and they both cried out. Kallian collapsed on him, panting and damp with sweat.

They clung to each other as their breathing slowly returned to normal, hands softly stroking and fondling, until Zevran turned to Kallian and asked "Again?"


	18. The Homecoming

**Author's Note:** Ha, take that, Dreaded Block! Thank you to Bioware and to all the readers who have added me to various lists and commented. As always, comments/reviews are most welcome.

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**The Homecoming**

Kallian awoke to the sound of water being poured into the tub and it made her want to pee. Trying to ignore that sensation and give herself time to come around, she kept her eyes closed. Someone had brought a tray of food. She could smell fresh bread, porridge and tea. The water stopped flowing. Zevran was saying thank you, closing the door. She could feel his weight on the bed, as he snuggled down beside her.

"You are awake, yes?" He kissed her shoulder as he slid his hand around her breast and teased her nipple.

"Mmm…"

The covers were suddenly snatched back, exposing her naked body to the cool morning air and she yelped, her eyes snapping open. "What are you…?"

Zevran's body covered hers, pinning her down. "It is time to get up and I thought you might like to bathe. I am sure you will want to look your best when you see your father, yes? Besides, best not to reunite with him smelling of a night of passion, hmm?" They smirked at each other.

He pushed himself up and off the bed reaching toward the floor. "The water is very hot, so come and eat first. Chamber pot?"

She nodded, taking it and slipping behind the dressing screen for privacy. He draped a robe over the screen for her to put on when she was done.

The tray of food was on a table between the two chairs by the fire and he sat down, motioning to her to join him. She took her time, pulling the robe on and sauntering over, slowly covering herself. She pulled her fingers through her hair and quickly braided it to get it out of the way, before sitting down. She put her feet up on Zevran's chair and crossed her ankles, the robe falling open to give him a good look along her legs to her groin.

Smiling, she leaned forward to take a trencher of porridge, exposing her breasts to him before sitting back up and taking a mouthful. He laughed and sipped his tea.

"You really are the worst torturer I have ever met, my dear Warden. The point is to hurt and demoralize, not to delight and arouse. You have completely missed the mark here, I am afraid."

They ate in companionable silence for a time and Kallian found herself dwelling on the task ahead. She had a vision of what her former home should look like, but there had been riots and there was talk of a plague, and this unexplained unrest…she truly had no idea what to expect. Truth be told, she was afraid of what had become of the three people she most loved in the entire world next to Zevran; her father, Cyrion, and her cousins, Soris and Shianni.

"A sovereign for your thoughts."

Kallian stirred out of her reverie. "Mmm? Oh…ah, just thinking."

"Well that much is obvious, la mia bella donna. What is making your brow wrinkle up so?"

"Bah, nothing." She smiled and waved a hand in the air, filling her mouth with a chunk of bread. After a few bites, she swallowed and continued, unable to keep her true feelings from him. "I was just thinking about my father and cousins, home, that sort of thing. I…I am worried…" her voice trailed off in a quiver, and tears spilled down her cheeks. She covered her face with her hands.

Zevran was at her side in a heartbeat, his arms around her. "Do not concern yourself with what might be, beyond preparing for battle as you always do. You will only distract yourself from your purpose if you dwell on uncertainties of that nature."

She was nodding, wiping her face with the sleeve of her robe. "Thank you. I'm glad you'll be with me."

"You are finished? Let use bathe, bella, and then we shall prepare for the journey and meet Alistair and Wynne." He held his hand out to her and pulled her up.

On the way to the bath, she noticed that Zevran had already prepared two armour racks for them. Her new drake skin armour and Duncan's sword and dagger were out. Zevran had chosen to wear the antique elven armour and use a Crow dagger and the Thorn of the Dead Gods they had found in the Drifter's Cache in Orzammar. Everything gleamed.

"Zev?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I know."

She smiled and squeezed his fingers, climbing into the scented bath.

xXx

Kallian presented the scroll Anora had given her to the guard at the gate to the alienage and they were allowed in. A flight of stairs took them up to the bridge over the Drakon. At the other end was a grassy area covering a short stretch to the gates to the alienage proper. Along the way, they were able to deliver messages to a courier and an elf who was being conscripted.

As they passed through the gates, Kallian stopped, staring at a door a short distance ahead of them.

"What is it?" Zevran asked as he stood by her side.

"That is my father's home, where I grew up." She swallowed hard. "I…"

The sound of shouting off to their right distracted her and she moved in that direction. Several paces along, a grand old tree came into view and she slowed her pace, hand to her mouth, emotion in her eyes.

"Our vhenadahl," she explained, although that didn't mean as much to her human companions as it did to Zevran. He understood it to be a symbol of Arlathan, an ancient elven city of great importance. Kallian moved on until the source of the commotion came into view.

A large group of elves had gathered in the centre of the alienage. Tevinter mages and soldiers were blocking the entrance to the Hospice. Some of the gathered crowd was yelling at them, while two women in the crowd were debating the whereabouts of various family members and whether or not they had been ill. Alistair, Wynne and Zevran stood beside Kallian, taking in the scene. Kallian's eyes settled on the back of one of the two women who stood closest to her.

"Shianni? Is that you?"

The woman started and whirled around to face them, her angry expression melting into surprise and happiness. "Cousin?" She shrieked as she ran to Kallian, throwing her arms around her.

The two women embraced and held each other tightly for several minutes before speaking, each blinking back tears. "We thought you were dead. Valendrian even held a funeral for you! Oh, cousin, the things that have happened since your wedding...but I'm babbling." She pulled back and brushed the tears from her face.

"Your wedding…?" Alistair started.

Kallian cursed under her breath and nodded. "I was to be married, we were kidnapped, my betrothed was killed trying to rescue us and I wound up getting conscripted. I, ah…probably should have told you the _whole_ story, but it isn't really something you'd want to hear while eating your breakfast."

He blushed. "I-I am so sorry, Kallian."

Before anyone could say anything else, Kallian pushed forward. "Oh, I'm sorry. Ah, this is my cousin Shianni. Shianni, this is Wynne, Alistair and Zevran. Shi, what is going on here?"

Shianni explained that a plague had apparently broken out and Tevinter mages were taking elves into the hospice to be quarantined and healed, but many of these people were never to be seen again. Many had not seemed ill at all when they were quarantined, and there were sick elves out in the streets. It made no sense, something was wrong. There was also a general ill feeling in the air, and a Templar Knight had been seen around the alienage for days now, which was unusual at best and somewhat ominous.

Kallian asked the question she'd feared asking since arriving, and this news had done nothing to settle her nerves.

"Where is my father?"

Shianni's face fell and she steered them away from the crowd and back towards Cyrion's house. "I don't think we should discuss this here, Kallian. I…"

"Just tell me, Shi." Kallian stopped and pulled her cousin to a stop.

"They took him to the hospice a day or two ago, cousin. I do not know what has become of him." Shianni's eyes were brimming with tears. "I am so sorry."

Kallian swayed with the shock of this news. Zevran's hand at her back steadied her and he stepped closer to her, slipping his arm around her waist. Shianni's eyebrow quirked and he smiled and bowed his head to her in response.

"And Soris?"

"He will be at your father's house. He...has not had it easy since the wedding. After you left, Arl Howe's men swept through here causing a riot. They told everyone that you and Soris were to blame, that it was revenge for Vaughn's death. And Valora was taken not too long ago. She was good to him and he misses her."

This was almost more than Kallian could bear, but her duty came first and she tried to put her personal feelings aside. "I will see him later. We are here at the Queen's behest to look into rumours she has heard about the unrest here, Shianni. I will find out what is going on."

"I have faith in you, cousin. There is a side entrance to the hospice, but only one guard will be there. I will wait here for you."

xXx

Kallian had successfully bribed the elf guarding the back entrance to leave his post, giving them the key to the hospice. Her party stepped inside the alley entrance, and found themselves in a large room with cots scattered here and there, but there was barely time to register this when they were rushed by three guards who came around the corner ahead and to their right.

Kallian's and Zevran's blades were instantly covered with a sheen of frost, a spell Wynne had recently perfected, and they each took on an opponent. Zevran targeted one with a mark of death and spun around the man dealing minor stab wounds to arms and hands before managing to exploit a weakness with a final jab to the throat.

Kallian's opponent had leaned back to escape a dagger to the face, giving her an opportunity to kick him in the groin. As he fell forward in pain, she put her hands behind his head and brought her knee up into his face, using her forward momentum to throw him to the ground. As she landed on top of him, she plunged Duncan's dagger into his chest.

Alistair had caught the third guard with a lucky shot to the nose with the edge of his shield, killing the man instantly and no one else was in the room. Flames were flickering up and down the edges of his sword, a spell Morrigan had taught Wynne. Kallian smiled to herself, pleased to see her companions didn't always have to be coerced into sharing and working together.

Looking to her party members, Kallian raised a finger to her mouth, pointed to her ear and then to the wall to their right. She could hear some shuffling and clanking and assumed there was another room in the building.

They nodded and followed her as she crept to the wall and then along it, pausing at the corner before peering around it. She looked back and nodded, raised a flat hand and moved it back and forth in front of her, then mimed opening a door. Zevran slipped into stealth mode and slid past her, testing the lock on the door a few paces away. It was locked. Pulling a pick from his armour, he made quick work of it, and stepped back, drawing his daggers. Kallian waved Alistair around the corner and he positioned himself in front of the door. Kallian flanked him to the right, Zevran would open the door and flank him to the left, and Wynne would follow behind them ready. Alistair hissed softly, Zevran puffed out a breath of air in response. Alistair nodded. _One, two, three._

Zevran pulled the door open quickly and followed Alistair and Kallian, darting in front of Wynne, into the room and to Alistair's left with a fluid grace that continued to amaze the others. Wynne stepped inside and stopped in her tracks, as the others had done. The room had a large cage on the floor along one side of the room and four smaller cages hanging along another. The first was occupied by a female elf and two males. Hanging along the wall, were two men, each in a cage, while a woman and a young boy and a man and a small girl were in the other two. All were elves and they all started shouting at once.

"Let us out, please! We're not sick!" Cried a man in the larger cage.

"Of course, I'm letting you out of here right now." She ran to the hanging cages first, using her picks to open the locks. "Zevran, help them down. Alistair, can you take a look around for anything you can find?" Both men were quick to react.

She then moved to the larger cage on the floor and opened it. When she was done, the freed elves gathered around her, muttering their thanks.

"Will you let my companion heal you and cast a haste spell on you to aid your escape?" They all nodded and Wynne got to work.

Kallian continued talking, giving them instructions. "Go out the back door, just around there. There's a door to your left and a garden to your right, with an alley along that wall. You'll want to go to your right and then left when you get out into the square. The Tevinter healer and his men will still be out there, but we'll leave by the front to create a distraction so you can get away. Run as far and as fast as you can, and hide. Do you understand?" They nodded.

Alistair came to her with a few odds and ends, handing a bottle of lyrium potion to Wynne, a handful of sovereigns to Zevran, and a piece of paper and a key to Kallian. She read the note written on the paper and frowned, tucked both items into the lining of her armour.

"Okay, let's go."

Out in the main room, she pointed the elves toward the back door and told them to wait until she and her group were out the front. "Remember, it's down the stairs, around to your right to the end of the building, and to your left. Around the vhenadahl."

She positioned herself to Alistair's right again. "If Wynne keeps back, can you throw a holy smite at the two healers out there?" He nodded. "Zev, you'll have to get the door again, I'll go out first, he'll follow, you flank. Wynne, get back. Way back."

Alistair concentrated. An eerie light began to glow about his hands and as it grew in intensity, he nodded. Zev opened the door and Kallian leapt out, shrieking at the top of her lungs, knocking a guard onto his face several feet in front of the door. Kallian fell upon him and cut his throat before he had time to react. The two Tevinter healers had been standing together when Alistair hit them both with the holy smite, immediately draining their mana and knocking them to the ground nearly unconscious, enabling Zevran to quickly dispatch of them both. Wynne cast a paralyze spell on the last two guards and Alistair and Kallian killed them. During the fray, Kallian had seen the elves escape safely. _Thank the Maker._

Shianni came out of hiding, carefully stepping around the bodies of the dead. "What happened? I saw some people come running out, but I didn't recognize them. Where are the others?"

"I don't know, Shi." Kallian's grim expression softened as she slipped her arm around her cousin.

"Where could they be? They have taken dozens of us in there, but no one has come out."

"I found this note." She pulled it out of her armour and handed it to Shianni, mulling it over in her head. _'Veras, bring 7 males and 4 females for the next shipment. Caladrius.'_

Shianni took the paper from Kallian and read it, her brow knitting together. "What does this mean? They can't be shipping _people_, can they? Where?"

Kallian was chewing on her lip, looking into the distance. "I think 'why' might be the better question." Her voice was soft, as though her thoughts were far removed from the present, something that often happened when she was deep in thought.

Coming back from wherever she had wandered mentally, her eyes focussed and her voice was stronger. "Have you seen anyone come out?"

"No. People go in and no one comes out. They aren't shipping anything I've seen. Maybe through the alleyways?"

Kallian nodded thoughtfully and held her hand out, a key on her palm. "I found this key with the note."

"Well, maybe one of the apartments in the alley behind the hospice is being used as a warehouse or a staging area of some sort?"

"We'll go check it out. Ah…could you give us a hand with this?"

Shianni made a face. "Don't worry about it; I'll get Alarith and some others to move them. You go and find out what's going on." She threw her arms around Kallian and kissed her on the cheek.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"So you tell me," came the reply with a smile and a laugh. "Maker watch over you, Shi."

xXx

They found the apartment immediately. It was the only other building accessible through the alley behind the hospice. Pausing at the entrance, Kallian turned around to face the others.

"I have a bad feeling about this. People who aren't necessarily sick, who are probably healthy, are going into the hospice, which we find to be empty of any sick people. Not to mention the fact that healthy people were being _imprisoned _there. Combine that with the note and I think we are talking about slavery. Those prisoners were one male and one female short of meeting the requirements of the note, if I counted correctly." Her companions did not appear to be surprised or offended by her comment.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She bent over and put her hands on her knees. "Maker help me, my _father's_ caught up in this."

Standing, she brushed a tear from her cheek and smiled weakly. "Okay, I'm okay. Let's be careful. I have never been in one of these places before, so I don't know the layout. I'm thinking we should take some time to rest up and prepare. I need a few minutes."

They agreed and Kallian wandered to the other end of the alley, to the small vegetable garden that was there and was absentmindedly plucking some elfroot when Zevran caught up with her. "Here," she mumbled, handing him the leaves.

"Thank you. Are you sure you are all right?" He put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her gently.

She made an appreciative sound and put her head on his shoulder. "Yes and no, but I have to continue."

After a moment's pause, she straightened up and kissed him fiercely. "Come. Let's join the others. We have work to do."


	19. Reunited

Author's Note: Bioware owns it; I'm just playing around with it. This is my longest chapter so far, as I couldn't see breaking it off any sooner. Reviews are like crack (I'm guessing…!), so please feel free to review/comment. Cheers!

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**Reunited**

Kallian and her party were standing directly inside the entrance to the apartments, looking down a hallway that turned to the right just past a door along that same wall. The stench was almost unbearable. Garbage and decay and blood, Kallian had thought after a moment of adjusting to it. She was surprised she didn't lose her breakfast. Zevran, Alistair and Wynne were behind her, waiting. They could hear muffled sounds from around the corner, but the building seemed rather quiet otherwise. Kallian hugged the wall to her right and moved to the first apartment as quietly as she could, listening. Satisfied that the room may be empty, she tried the handle and opened the door.

The found themselves in a sparsely furnished home. A female elf was sitting on a mattress on the floor muttering to herself between deep coughs, seemingly unaware of their presence.

"I can't find my daughter…told her not to wander too far from the house…I won't go to the hospice, I won't…"

Kallian turned to the others. "We should leave her here for now, either come back ourselves or let Shianni know about her. Let's go."

She slipped past them, to peer around the corner. There was a figure crouched on the floor in an alcove at the far end of the hall, which appeared to turn off to the left a short distance before the alcove. She explained this to the others, in barely audible whispers.

As they approached, the man jumped up and turned to face them, fear in everything about him. Kallian recognized the man, but what his name? Jonas? She had seen her father talking to him on occasion, in what seemed like a lifetime ago. Jonik?

"Who's there? Stay away!" Jhuvik, that was it.

"Shhh, calm down. You're Jhuvik, right? I'm Kallian, Cyrion's daughter. I mean you no harm." Kallian had her hands out in front of her, arms open, trying not to look too intimidating. She slowly removed her gloves and helm and handed them to Alistair. "See? I just want to talk to you. Please, Jhuvik."

The man's eyes were shifting back and forth between Kallian, her friends and the opposite end of the hallway behind them.

Keeping her voice soft and as pleasant sounding as she could manage, she asked "Where are the people who live in this building?"

He flinched. "I don't know, you've got to ask someone else." His voice took on a high pitched, frightened tone.

"Would some coin change your mind?" She opened her coin purse and fished a few coins out, offering them to him on her open palm.

He reached out slowly at first, then snatched them up and clutched them to his chest. "All right. I saw them take everyone, right out of their beds, dragged them down the hall…Maker, the little ones crying…"

Kallian could hear mutterings behind her. "Maker's breath." "Merda." "Maker help them." _Indeed, it must be as we thought._ She felt sick to her stomach.

"What about my father, Cyrion?"

"Him too, yesterday. I saw him. They brought him through with others, all tied together like pack mules…"

"Where did they take everyone?" Kallian began to struggle to maintain her composure.

The man pointed to the hallway to her left. "Through the landlord's office. They go in there, they never come back."

"What else have you seen?"

"Every few days they come back. It's like a parade, a silent one. Men, women, and children. You have to go. They'll be back soon, they'll find out I talked." He turned back to the pile of garbage and crouched down again, stuffing the coins into his pocket.

Kallian took a step back and turned, finding herself staring into Zevran's eyes. They didn't have to speak. She could see the concern in his eyes.

"I-I'll be okay. Let's just keep moving. I have to…keep moving." He nodded and stepped aside, his fingers entwining briefly with hers as she passed, reaching to Alistair for her helm and gloves.

The next home they entered showed signs of a struggle. There was a pool of dried blood on the floor, with boot prints through it to a broken vase with blood and hair on it. The prints faded as they turned toward the door, drops of blood trailing along beside them. At least one injured person was taken out of the room while bleeding, by a large soldier or guard, by the look of the boot prints. Everything was covered in a layer of dust, leaving her to conclude the room had been abandoned for several days, at least.

In the next apartment the mouldy remains of a family meal were scattered on the table, crawling with maggots. A worn and apparently very much loved stuffed doll was lying on the floor, its companion nowhere in sight. As Kallian searched through a trunk in the room, she found a sextant they had been hired to find and slipped it into her pack. When she was satisfied they had examined every inch of the room, she led her team along the hall to the last two doors they could see. One was at the very end of the hallway, facing them, while the other was closer to them, set into the wall along their right.

Kallian was about to move to the nearest door, thinking it would lead to another apartment, when she heard laughter from behind it and froze. She felt Zevran's hand on her shoulder as he leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"Let me look through the keyhole." If anything unpleasant was happening on the other side of the door, especially to anyone she knew, he would rather have to tell her about it than let her see it firsthand.

She hesitated for only a moment, then nodded and flattened herself up against the wall, motioning to Wynne and Alistair to do the same. Zevran slid along the wall and fell to one knee without making a sound. Staying to the side of the door, he leaned over to peer through the keyhole. After a moment he drew back and returned to Kallian's side.

"It is locked. I can see one Tevinter guard, sitting at a table with his back to the door, but the keyhole is too small for me to see much more. There are others in the room; at least two sit with him, perhaps three?" Kallian sighed and rubbed her neck. Shrugging, she motioned Alistair to huddle close and relayed this information to him.

"Surprise is on our side, but how do we get in without giving much of it away? Zev, can you pick the lock without making any noise?" Alistair whispered. Zevran looked offended. "What?"

Rolling his eyes, Zevran knelt down again, picks in hand, and quickly, and silently, worked the lock. Listening carefully, he timed the final turn of the pick with a burst of laughter following a joke, _just to be on the safe side_, he told himself. Standing up, he raised an eyebrow at Kallian and Alistair, as if to ask 'what now?' Wynne leaned into their huddle.

"I could create an electrical storm. Someone would have to open the door and then close it again so we can wait out the storm in safety, but that would certainly subdue them with little effort on anyone else's part."

"Wynne, I find your complete willingness to unleash mass destruction on unsuspecting strangers without any warning to them or any coercion at all on my part slightly disturbing, but absolutely brilliant. Zevran, if you could open the door and then hold it shut, Alistair and I will just step back and wait. Count of three on Wynne's nod?" The others nodded and took their positions.

Wynne held her staff out in front of her, eyes closed in concentration. Electricity began to spark along the staff, arcing to her other hand. As the stream grew stronger, she nodded. Zevran opened the door, flattening himself against it, and a cloud of electricity shot past him toward the center of the room. He slammed the door shut and held the handle with both hands, one foot on the door frame to brace him. They could hear the guards inside scream and then go silent as lightning crackled and ricocheted around the room for nearly two minutes before the electricity dissipated. Zevran opened the door again, letting Alistair charge in ahead of them.

There had been four guards in the room, three sitting at the table. Two were unconscious on the floor, having fallen onto their backs beside each other. Zevran immediately killed them both in a rather impressive tumbling display that ended with him landing on the floor between the two, driving a dagger into each of their hearts. Another guard had collapsed dead at the table, a metal shield in his burned hands, and the fourth was on his hands and knees nearby, gasping for breath. He grabbed at a sword on the floor and tried to stand, lunging at Alistair with unsteady legs, but simply succeeded in throwing himself onto Alistair's sword.

Zevran wiped his blades on the guards and jumped up, sheathed his daggers and landed on his feet, hands out to his sides in a flourish. Alistair snorted. "Show off."

Kallian glared at them both and began checking the room. Wynne kept an eye at the door while Alistair and Zevran searched the guards, and after a few minutes they had collected more armor and coin.

"Let's leave a pack of this stuff here to pick up later. If Jhuvik or another elf steals it, fine, otherwise we have a bag of things to sell."

They took a few minutes to sort through the items they had collected, putting surplus into a spare back pack she had, before heading back out into the hallway. After pausing to listen at the door to what was likely the landlord's office, she slipped the key into the lock and turned it. The door opened into an office with another door along the opposite wall, a desk and chair and a few other things scattered about. After another quick check around the room, Kallian moved to the outer door and listened for a moment. Before Zevran could stop her, she crouched down to peer out the keyhole and was standing up silently fuming almost immediately. Zevran raised an eyebrow. Kallian responded by tossing her hands into the air in frustration.

"I cannot tell how many, but at least five. There's what looks like a path and a grassy area between here and another building, much like the one leading into this one." She jerked thumb in the direction from which they had come.

"This is horseshit," she grumbled to no one in particular. "Shit. Why can we not just get lucky for once? Why does it always have to be so fucking hard? Good, hardworking, poverty-stricken people are being snatched out of their homes and taken to Maker-knows-where, and we can't catch a fucking break trying to find them."

Kallian rarely ever used such language and her companions were hard pressed to recall another point in time when she had been this angry. She raked her fingers through her hair, only to realize it was braided, and yelped as her fingers abruptly caught on the plait. She looked a little wild, hair coming out of its braid, eyes gleaming, face flushed and nostrils flaring. As she paced back and forth, she balled her hands into fists, uncurled and balled them up again, over and over again. Finally, she stopped pacing and pulled her hair out of its braid to tidy it up.

"I am sorry. I must look a fright and this is doing us no good." She worked her hair into a new plait and tied it off. "Shall we go?"

Wynne, Alistair and Zevran exchanged looks and through some unspoken agreement, Zevran took her hand and spoke. "We are concerned for you and know this must be difficult. Are you sure you are ready? If you need to take more time…"

She shook her head and squeezed his fingers. She looked a little less wild, but the anger was still very much there. Zevran could almost feel it coursing through her. He reached out with his other hand to stroke her cheek before nodding toward the door.

"Very well, then. After you, bella."

xXx

There was a fight. "Of course, why should I have expected anything else?" She had yelled when the first arrows flew at them. If only Oghren could have seen her; he may have decided to teach her how to become a berserker after all. Her anger and frustration pushed her into a rage and she was merciless. Kallian was not as observant during the affray, however, and this lack of attention cost her. Before the final archer had died on Alistair's blade, he fired one last shot and hit Kallian's left thigh, just below the skirt of her armor, the arrow slicing into the fleshy back of her leg from the side. She was turning to kick the soldier whose throat she had just cut, only to find herself thinking two things. First, that he was already on the ground and dying; second, that it felt as though someone had punched her in the left leg, the one she was still standing on. It was suddenly quite hot and failing her and she fell. An arrow was buried in her upper thigh. Zevran rushed to her side just in time to stop her from yanking the arrow out.

"Oh no, my dear Warden, you know you mustn't do that or you will make Wynne's job much more difficult." He called out for the mage, then looked over his shoulder. "Alistair, if you are finished with that man, I could use your assistance over here, please." Bending over Kallian, he looked her in the eye. "You know what we must do. Move carefully, bella."

Kallian sat up and leaned back on Zevran as he sat on his heels behind her, so that her upper body was resting on his thighs. She kept her lower body twisted slightly to the right so her left leg was off the ground. It felt as though it were on fire and the feel of the arrow shifting in her flesh was unsettling and painful.

"We had best move quickly, yes?" He took his leather gloves off and folded one over, handing it to Kallian. "You will want to bite down on this, my dear. This is going to be quite unpleasant." She paled considerably and whimpered, but took the glove in one hand and gripped Zevran's hand with the other. He held her tightly, kissing the top of her head.

Alistair knelt on Kallian's left, gently moving her leg so he could access both sides of her thigh and examined the arrow, then looked to Wynne. "Can you do anything…?" He mimed pushing the arrow through her leg. Kallian whimpered again and put Zevran's glove between her teeth.

"I can relax her muscles, but I will need to reserve my mana in order to heal her afterwards or I will become lyrium addled before much longer. This has become quite a long day and these old bones are weary," she sighed.

Wynne placed a hand above Kallian's thigh and cast a minor spell. She could see Kallian's thigh muscle relax and nodded to Alistair who pulled a small knife from his boot and held it between his teeth. He looked to Zevran and Wynne and then to Kallian. She nodded and Wynne and Zevran prepared to hold her in place. With rather remarkable grace and speed for someone of his size and build, Alistair gripped the arrow, snapped the fletching off, scraped splintered wood from the shaft with his knife and pushed the arrow through Kallian's thigh, pulling it out the other side. Kallian screamed into the glove. Tears streamed down her face as she tried desperately to stay still and let her friends do what had to be done. It felt as though a hot rod of iron was being forced through the back of her thigh. Alistair then had to cut into her leggings on both sides of her thigh to open the entrance and exit holes so Wynne could get to work.

Even when that was over, relief was several minutes away. Wynne pulled a flask from her robes and cleaned Kallian's wounds before casting spells to repair the muscle and tissue damage, and both treatments caused more pain before it finally receded. After several minutes had passed, Alistair handed a lyrium potion to Wynne who paused long enough to drink it back and then continued. After a while longer, Wynne announced she was reasonably satisfied that Kallian would be able to continue if she did not put any undue stress on her leg.

Kallian pulled the glove from her mouth, swore softly and mumbled that she hated them all. Zevran chuckled and gave her a gentle squeeze. She scrubbed the tears from her face and took a few minutes to calm herself before reaching out to Alistair for assistance standing. Zevran jumped up and hovered nearby as she took a few tentative steps.

"Oh, nice job Wynne. I know you normally don't like to work so quickly." She tried to crouch and winced. "Okay, good for walking, not so good for much else. I'll just put a few injury kits on it and everything will be fine." She did exactly that, tying a band of cloth around her thigh to keep the kits in place.

"Just be careful," Wynne warned as Alistair helped her up off the ground. "I have done what I can from the inside out, but you will require more healing. You could still reopen the wound at the surface."

Kallian kissed Wynne's cheek. "Thank you."

Alistair put a hand on Kallian's shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to take a minute?"

"Yes, Alistair, I am sure I do not want to take a minute. I have no idea if we are going to catch up to any of these missing people, but we must try and every minute we waste brings them a minute closer to whatever fate awaits them. Let's go."

xXx

They walked into a warehouse and found themselves facing a Tevinter elf flanked by two warriors. Kallian was quick to notice the archer standing off to their right behind a long table surrounded by chairs. The Tevinters and the Fereldens stared at each other for a moment before the elf spoke.

"What is the meaning of this? We were told there would be no interference from the authorities."

"No interference in what? What is going on here?" Kallian demanded, hands on her hips.

The other woman laughed. "You simply fought your way in here to ask questions, did you? You will regret this, you know. Believe it or not, we have been given dispensation to do our business here. The humans talk about how very wrong slavery is, but isn't it funny how quickly the smell of gold overcomes such ideals?"

Kallian was enraged. "You're an elf! How can you be a part of this?"

"So this makes us kin? Don't be a fool. I am a Tevinter first and a servant of the Minrathous Circle second; those are the things that matter. But enough of this, I am here to halt your slaughter, nothing more."

The Warden laughed, daggers out. "Oh, I would certainly like to see you try. Come." She twitched her weapons in the air.

Challenge accepted, the Tevinter elf assumed a ready posture. "Let us finish this then. I intend to see you pay for the damage you've done here."

Kallian simply laughed in return and the room exploded into a flurry of activity. The slaver sprinted into the next room to stand by the archer positioned there, and drew her bow. Narrowly missing Kallian with her first shot, she barely had time to reach for a second arrow before a throwing knife lodged itself in her eye. Zevran killed the second archer in the same manner before her body had fallen to the floor. He then turned to slip behind the soldier Kallian was attacking, stabbing the man in the back, blades slipping between ribs to puncture lungs. Alistair kicked the final soldier off his sword and the skirmish was over.

From there, Kallian took her group into a hallway that led to two more rooms. Killing the five guards they encountered in the second room along the hall, they descended a flight of stairs into yet another hallway where they had to fight off more guards. They entered into yet another large room, this one serving as sleeping quarters and an office of sorts for the slavers, where they found more guards and continued fighting. When they had defeated the guards, Kallian paused, hands on knees, exhausted and panting, looking back and forth between the two doors along the back wall of the room. Her stomach was growling with hunger, her body ached, she could feel a warm dampness spreading around her left thigh and despair was threatening to overtake her. She had to find her father and hadn't Shianni said something about Valendrian before Kallian made her presence known? She wished she had thought to ask about that when she'd had the chance.

She felt the warm tickling sensation and energy spike that meant Wynne was casting a rejuvenation spell on them and thanked the mage, encouraging her to rest while the others searched the room. Wynne smiled and sat for the few minutes it took to poke around. When she was finished, Kallian looked at the door on the left.

"Let's go there first."

She opened the door, not bothering to check the keyholes and was surprised to find not another room or hallway as she had suspected, but what appeared to be a wide balcony with a flight of stairs at either end. She could see the other door in the previous room along the wall she had just stepped through. On the floor of the wide open space below her, she could see another Tevinter mage, two soldiers and two archers. There were three cages lining the room, with elves in each, although she had barely registered them as her attention was drawn to the mage.

He stepped toward her, a sickening smile on his face. The man moved with grace and didn't seem at all perturbed to realize that she and her team must have defeated all the guards in the apartment building and warehouse in order to make it this far.

"I am Caladrius and I assume you must be the Grey Wardens I've heard so much about." He was almost welcoming, as though he were expecting them.

The man who had written the note she had found earlier in the day. _At last._ "I don't care who you are, you are going to die." Kallian's anger was barely contained.

"Are you sure you want to take such rash action, Warden? Look around you. Surely we can reach some compromise?"

She laughed. There would be no mercy for this man. "Let's talk again, after I've slaughtered your friends."

"Pity. Looks like we'll have to settle this the hard way. My apologies."

Zevran had been watching Kallian out of the corner of his eye, concerned as he was for her, and saw the colour drain from her face. Indeed her neck and bosom paled and he realized that whether or not she knew it, she was drawing on her newly acquired power and it was too late to stop her. Blood was flowing from her fingertips to her blades. He barely had time to hope she would be able to control it before the sound of Alistair's war cry launched them into battle yet again. Coloured light blossomed on the floor around the cages as Wynne cast warding glyphs to protect the elves. She then began directing bolts of lightning into the shields of the soldiers in front of them. They were metal as she had hoped and the soldiers were given quite a jolt of electricity, enabling Alistair to run one through with his sword and begin attacking the second with a shield pummel before either of them had time to recover. Zevran took advantage of the distraction and used stealth to sneak behind one of the archers to dig his blades under the man's arms as he aimed an arrow at Kallian. The arrow flew wildly and struck the second archer in the cheek, sending him to the ground, screaming. Zevran leapt upon the man and killed him quickly.

Kallian, meanwhile, had jumped over the balcony to the floor below as though this were something she did all the time, miraculously landing on her right leg, and launched herself at Caladrius. As she had done with Taliesin, she danced around the mage, lashing out at him and inflicting little wounds. The enchantments she had on her weapons and the rings, necklaces and belts she wore helped ward off magic, but they also bolstered her health and many of her talents, and she had the advantage over Caladrius. Soon enough, he had weakened his mana enough that he could not continue to attack her with magic and he was no longer strong enough to wield his staff as a weapon.

"Enough, enough! It…seems your reputation is an accurate one. I surrender." She had cut him rather deeply in the upper arm and blood was soaking into his robes as he fell to his knee.

"Surrender? No. Perhaps you should be left to the mercy of these elves?" She held her blades to his throat and glared into his eyes. He had thought she was ill, she was so very pale, but her colour was coming back now at an alarming rate. The cuts on his body burned and he was desperate to get away from this place so he could heal himself.

"Please! Hear me out, dear lady. Were I to use the remaining life force of the remaining slaves here, I could augment your physical health a great deal! Allow me to leave this place alive and I would be more than happy to do this little service for you. So…is my offer of interest to you?" There were shocked gasps from the others in the room, particularly the elves.

"Absolutely NOT!" Kallian roared.

"Then I don't suppose you would consider just…letting me go?"

"Ah…no, I don't suppose I would." Kallian leaned over Caladrius. "These are _my_ people. I killed Vaughan Kendalls and his men for the crimes he committed against me and my kin, for trying to _buy_ them from me, and as despicable as his actions were, yours are far worse. You have seriously underestimated my strength of character if you think I will just let you walk away after the crimes you've committed. I will have your hide."

"Ah, well, that is a shame, isn't it?" Caladrius stood slowly and with one last push of strength, he lunged at Kallian.

She had clearly expected it and was ready. As he came at her, she dropped to the floor and thrust her blades up into his body, pushing them against his forward momentum, almost relishing the feel of his blood rushing over her hands as she rolled away from him. Her heart was pounding in her ears, too loudly, she thought as Caladrius' body fell to the floor. She could hear metal clanking, voices, but her eyes were focused on the door ahead of her. _How much more of this is there? How much more can I take?_ She pulled off her gloves and dropped them on the floor, then pulled off her helm and tucked it under her arm. _So tired._

Wynne's voice drifted into her brain. "Kallian, are you all right? Goodness, child, your leg. I knew it…" Warm tickles and discomfort there.

Another voice cut through the fog in her brain. "Da'len?"

Two men appeared before her. Zevran, reaching out for her, his eyes full of concern, and another she had not seen for over eight months. Cyrion Tabris looked a little older than she remembered. His dark brown hair was peppered with grey, there were more wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, and he looked so very tired, but it was her father.

"Papae?" She reached out for him, but he pulled away and she cried out 'no!' with as much strength as she could muster and then, as she tried to grab at him and her field of vision shrank, she realized he wasn't pulling away, she was falling away, and then it was quiet.


	20. An Interlude

**Author's Note:** I decided 'click' as a way to activate the places of power would not make much sense in written word, so made up a ritual of sorts for the purpose. According to my source, 'vis vires' is Latin for 'force', which made sense to me in a way. Life force, force as in power or physical might…that sort of thing. I do dwindle into a bit of silliness in this chapter, incorporating a childhood memory Easter egg, if you will. It came to me as I was writing and I couldn't not indulge myself. Please feel free to comment/review, as I do enjoy hearing from readers!

* * *

**An Interlude**

Kallian awoke to odd sounds and voices, with confusing images crowding her brain, all accompanied by the faint smell of an Antivan dish Zevran often cooked at camp, and none of it made any sense to her. The thing she latched onto first was Zevran's cooking. _He cooks at camp, but we aren't at camp are we? That doesn't seem right…_She tried to concentrate, to make sense of it all, and the noise began to come into focus. She could hear Zevran giving someone a…_cooking lesson_? Alistair was bartering with someone, selling armour and weapons. _Alarith?_ A familiar voice was saying "I knew the things they were saying about her weren't true." _That sounds like Feryn, my father's apprentice. _Suddenly everything came back to her with a jolt and before she had even opened her eyes, she was sitting upright, yelling. "Papae!" Her forehead connected with something hard and she collapsed back onto something only slightly less so, groaning. The chatter around her had stopped.

"_Ow, ow, ow._."

"There now, child, you're all right." Wynne's calm voice was soothing. Kallian felt a cold hand press to her forehead and the pain there receded quickly. Someone was holding her hand, squeezing her fingers.

"Zev?"

"I am here, my Warden, but I am a little bit busy at the moment." His response came from further away than the end of her arm and he sounded distracted. _Right, he's cooking, so who…_She opened her eyes to find her father staring back at her.

"Father." Tears welled up in her eyes and she brought his hand to her lips, kissing it.

Cyrion's eyes were glistening. "My little girl. I didn't think I would see you again. When they said all the Grey Wardens died at Ostagar, I prayed they were wrong. I-I can't believe you're here. _Why_ are you here?"

"Queen Anora asked us to look into rumours she'd heard about unrest here within the alienage, so…" she shrugged. "I couldn't let them hurt my family." There was so much more she wanted to say to him, she didn't know where to begin.

He was smiling down at her. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You're so much like your mother."

She was struck again by how tired he looked. "Are _you_ all right?"

"Could be worse; I could be on an auction block in Minrathous right now."

Kallian looked around her. She was in her old bed in her father's home. It was the same sparsely furnished, poor little hut it always had been, but it was neat and tidy. Things had changed a bit, but it was still home. She could see Feryn, Soris, Shianni, Alarith and Alistair standing nearby and smiled weakly. A thought came to her then and she gasped.

"Where's Valendrian?"

Cyrion's smile faded. "Gone. They took him to the ships a few days ago…"

Kallian sobbed, her fists beating the bed at her sides. "No, no, _no_…"

Her father reached for her hands and sat beside her. "Da'len, do not do this to yourself. You have done so much good, saved so many, we cannot dwell on the ones you couldn't save."

He pulled her into his arms and held her, rocking her and stroking her hair as he had when she was a child and he was reminded of the last time they had been together this way, the day her mother was murdered. This made him remember something else and as he felt Kallian trying to pull herself together, he knew it was time for him to dig into their past. A smile tugged at his lips; this would literally mean pulling up the floor boards.

Kallian was drying her face and staring at the window in the other room. The sky was dark. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Just a couple of hours, da'len. Wynne thought it best to bring you back here where you could sleep for a while." He helped her stand.

"Let me get a look at you." She looked down to see that she was wearing one of her old dresses and it was hanging off her frame where it had once fit quite well. "Maker, don't they feed you Wardens? You're all skin and bones!"

Kallian and her companions laughed at that. "Father, you have no idea how much Alistair and I eat, when there's food to be had. It's a Warden thing, ravenous appetite. Mind you, we have walked back and forth across Ferelden too many times to count since I left, and we have had to travel as fugitives so a good meal wasn't always available."

She embraced her father. "It is so good to see you, Father. I am sorry I didn't send a message after Ostagar…" He cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Your companions have been telling us a great deal of what happened during the battle and what you have been up to since, da'len. It is understandable. I thought you were _dead_ until earlier today. This is a time for celebration! Your friend Zevran has been cooking a stew and we have bread and ale. Come, eat."

xXx

When the meal was finished and the dishes cleaned, Alarith excused himself, taking a large sack of armour and weapons with him. Feryn followed shortly thereafter, thanking the group once again for rescuing him. Kallian realized she had been in such bad shape after facing Caladrius that she hadn't noticed who any of the other imprisoned elves were. Cyrion offered room for the night to Kallian and her friends, and while this meant sleeping on the floor, they accepted. It was late and not the best time to be wandering around the city, regardless of who they were or even more so because of it, and their return to the estate could wait until morning. Bedrolls were laid out, blankets fetched, and the fire in the wood stove was stoked. Kallian hugged her father and cousins and settled in her assigned spot on the floor. Candles were blown out and the room plunged into darkness barely penetrated by the moonlight from outside.

"Kallian?" Alistair whispered.

"What?"

"I sold our surplus supplies to Alarith. Zev has the coin."

"Okay."

"I also ran into that Templar Knight Shianni mentioned and I think we should help him."

"Alistair?"

"Yes?"

"We can do that, but can we talk about it in the morning?"

"Oh, sure. Sorry."

"That's okay."

"Cousin?"

Kallian sighed. "What is it, Shianni?"

"What's going on with you and Zev?"

Zevran, who had snuggled up to spoon himself against Kallian's back, chuckled into her hair and moved a hand down toward her groin. Kallian, meanwhile, was trying not to moan with pleasure as he pressed his hand against her. Her father had given her the occasional rather inquisitive look over the course of the evening – Zevran brushed close to her several times, his hand lingering at her back, and he used more than one of his pet names for her – but Cyrion hadn't said anything to either of them. He deserved an explanation, she thought, but now was hardly the time.

"Wha…I…_Damn it_, Shianni. You are such an _ass_. You couldn't have asked me this earlier when we were outside?" She sputtered, pulling Zevran's hand back up to her waist.

"Shianni, stop teasing your cousin. Go to sleep, girls."

"Yes, Papae."

"Sorry, Uncle."

"Good night, Kallian."

"Good night, Alistair."

"Good night, Soris."

"Good night, Shianni."

"Good night, Wynne."

The mage sighed. "Good night, Kallian."

Someone farted and everyone burst into laughter. Kallian put her hand on Zevran's and listened as the others fell asleep. She eventually drifted off as well, some of the disquiet she had been feeling lately easing away.

xXx

Kallian's dreams were not haunted by visions of darkspawn and the arch demon, or even whisperings of its thoughts. Instead, the faces of Valora and Valendrian and all the others she now knew to be gone to the Tevinter Imperium floated before her, her imagination conjuring up various fates for them and she awoke just as dawn was breaking, staring at the ceiling, tears rolling down into her ears. Zevran had rolled away from her in the night, making it easy for her to slip away from him and out of the house, rubbing her face dry. She needed a distraction and found herself following a familiar path to the vhenadahl.

Standing at the base, Kallian put her hand on the tree's massive trunk and looked up into its branches, the leaves gently waving back and forth in the breeze. She walked around its trunk, pausing as a familiar feeling came over her. _Something about the air right here. This is it_…She crouched down and put her hand out tentatively, feeling a surge of energy running along the ground at the base of the tree. Using her finger to draw in the dirt there, she etched the rune she'd been taught by the Mage's Collective, whispering _vis vires_ as she drew. There was a barely perceptible shift in the atmosphere around her and the air grew smoky for a moment before a breeze blew it away. The final place of power was now active and she could inform their contact on the way back to the estate. More money.

Kallian leapt up, grabbing a branch, and began climbing the vhenadahl until she found a good branch upon which to perch and straddled it, resting her back on the trunk. Signs of life were beginning to stir below her. A rooster crowed, chickens were stirring and the elf who tended to them was out to feed them. Memories began to come to her. Her cousins and she would clamber up into this very tree, as high as they could go, to hide from Cyrion when they'd got themselves into trouble, or to fantasize about a life far away from the alienage. She shook her head at that thought. She had had a life far away from the alienage and back again, and for a moment she wished for normalcy once again, knowing it would never come. She would never truly be _normal_ again, her life would never again be ordinary, and while that had bothered her for a bit at first, she was used to it now. Her thoughts drifted to her time as a Warden.

The enormity of the task she and Alistair faced after Ostagar had seemed staggering to her at first. She was young and in spite of her rogue training had never truly had to fight for her very life or battle to defend another until the day she was to be married. And then she quite abruptly suffered tragedy and loss and had to abandon everything and everyone she had known to that point for a life on the road with a strange human. She had been thrown into a terrifying adventure and all out war, suffered more tragedy and loss, and then found herself leading an effort to raise an army while trying to coax her depressed brother-in-arms back into a better frame of mind while dealing with her own personal horrors. Even so, she managed to smile as she remembered the weeks following Ostagar.

Morrigan and Alistair at each other's throats, tossing threats and insults back and forth, much as Soris and Shianni had bickered as children. Leliana's songs and stories, the way she'd fussed with Kallian's hair and chatted about shoes and fashion. Sten arguing with her about how she couldn't be a woman and fight, among many other things. Wynne mothering them all. Lucius constantly stealing socks and undergarments from Alistair and Morrigan and hiding them in other people's tents, or leaving signs of his affection for members of the group. Morrigan had found a dead rabbit in her bed once. There had been horrors and hardships, of course, and more were to come before this would all be over, but there had been humour and good times as well.

Kallian had survived and grown and become stronger, and even though she had not married – for this was what signalled a girl's transition into womanhood in her culture – she was now a woman. Her mother would be proud of the woman she had become, Kallian believed this. Her father would be, too, she knew this, but she couldn't help thinking he would be disappointed somehow with the direction her life had gone. He had so wanted for her to have a happy marriage and to have children. That thought brought a tear to her eye and Kallian brushed it away angrily. She had cried enough lately. The sun was now creeping into the sky and the others might be waking soon, and she made her way back down to the ground.

As she walked past the orphanage, she was startled to realize she had not noticed the corpse of a recently deceased dog and a nearby pool of blood, between the path and the building. _They must have been there earlier, or I would have heard a commotion otherwise,_ she thought to herself. A noise ahead of her drew her attention back up and she saw her father standing outside his front door, smiling at her. As she drew closer to him, he held out his arms.

"Good morning, Kallian, my darling daughter," he said as he pulled her into an embrace.

"Good morning, Papae. It feels so strange to be back here. I feel different."

He smiled. "You are; how could you not be? You have been through much since you were taken away from us and you have assumed great responsibility." He rested his chin on her head and they were silent for a moment.

"About Zevran, Papae…"

He chuckled. "Oh I am not so old as to think that you would not meet someone and fall in love when you were out on your own, da'len. While you lived with me, I felt it was my duty as your father to do what I could to keep you chaste and find you a good match, but once you were conscripted…well, you became your own responsibility." He looked into his daughter's eyes.

"I must admit it is a bit concerning to know he is an assassin, _the_ assassin who tried to kill you."

Kallian nodded. "Well, it was just that one time and it turned out he wasn't very good at it."

There was another moment of silence and then a voice said "I heard that, you know" followed by laughter, and Kallian giggled.

"He is a good man, Papae. You have nothing to worry about." _From Zevran, at any rate_, she thought.

"I can see that you are both happy and comfortable with each other, and that is enough for me, da'len." He hugged her again. "The Maker brought you back to me, my child, and not only that but you also saved my life. Some things just don't seem that important anymore. Come; let us get some breakfast into you and your friends before you get back to saving the world."

* * *

_Stay tuned as our merry little band of do-gooders continues to roam about the alienage and help Ser Otto with his problem._


	21. Dancing with Demons

**Author's Note:** This chapter has been hard to write. My husband hijacked my weekend, needing my help as he did with various home improvement projects. We now have a lovely black fireplace and a few piles of yard waste to dispose of. I've also been suffering from a case of attention deficit disorder for the past few days as I've arranged a bit of a holiday for myself and am tackling various projects around the house, readings, writings, et cetera. I hope to update again soon and welcome any and all criticisms, reviews and comments. Cheers!

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**Dancing with Demons**

After they ate, Kallian and her companions gathered their things and prepared to leave. Kallian pulled Shianni outside and took a small pouch from her bag, placing it in her cousin's hands.

"Shi, when we went to the Arl of Denerim's estate to rescue the Queen, I took this from Vaughan's room. It was still there, after all this time." She felt Shianni flinch at the mention of the man's name. "I want you to have it."

Shianni opened the pouch, gasping as the early morning sunlight touched the gold within. "Maker! It isn't, is it?"

Kallian nodded. "Yes. I _did_ want that money and was really angry when we couldn't find it in his pockets or coin purse. It was in that trunk I couldn't open. My skills have improved since then." She waggled her fingers in front of her cousin.

Shianni's eyes sparkled. "This is incredible, Kalli. Thank you so much!" She hugged her cousin.

"Just be careful with it, Shi. Don't draw too much attention to yourself, okay?"

"I promise. If you can come for dinner tonight you're all more than welcome to, but stop in again soon anyway, okay?" She planted a kiss on her cousin's cheek and went back into the house to hide the small fortune.

Cyrion came to Kallian, pulling his arms around her shoulders, and held her for a while before speaking. "My darling girl, I am so proud of you."

"I was nervous about coming home, Papae. I…I thought you might be disappointed with me, worried what you'd think of Ze…" Cyrion silenced her, placing a finger on her lips.

Taking her face in his hands, he looked into her eyes. "The day you were born, da'len, was the happiest day of my life, next to the day your mother married me. I could not have asked for better blessings from the Maker, and when I heard you were dead..." he shook his head.

"Knowing that you are alive and well means more to me than I could ever say, and if, in these dark times, you have found happiness, I am blessed again. _Never_ doubt that I love you, Kallian."

They each reached out to wipe a tear from the other's face at the same time and laughed as their hands bumped together between them, more tears falling. Kallian hugged her father again.

"Thank you, Papae. I promised Shianni I'd try to come back for dinner tonight, or at least stop in, so I'll see you soon." She kissed his cheek. "I love you."

She sought out Soris next, spotting him leaning against the gates at the path to the bridge heading back to the market. Looking over her shoulder to Zevran, she held her hand out and motioned for him to stay back. He nodded and turned to speak to Wynne and Alistair.

"Hey." Kallian went to Soris' side.

"Hey."

They stood in silence for a moment and Kallian wondered where to start. She and Soris were not the same people they had been on their wedding day. But where Kallian had been praised afterwards for doing what she had to do to save her friends, he had been condemned for it and in the end he had suffered. While he had been happy to see her, she felt something was off between them, there had been a distance in him, and she wanted to fix it.

"Look, I…I don't know where to start. I feel…_gah_, I hate that you have had to bear the consequences of that day, while I got to leave."

He turned to look at her, his brow furrowed. "You know, I did resent you at first, because that's exactly what I thought, that you _got_ to leave while I was stuck here. But that isn't what happened, is it? You didn't _get_ to leave, Kalli, you _had_ to leave or you would have been jailed and who knows what else before you'd have been hung. Maker, killed for wanting to spare your kin pain and humiliation at the hands of those shems."

He looked back toward the alienage. "Our own people were willing to leave you all with those animals and…I-I might have, if it hadn't been for Nelaros. We lost Nola, you were all but exiled, and Shianni hasn't been the same since. If only we hadn't wasted so much time arguing about what to do, maybe…"

_If only, if only._ She had done that to herself too many times since leaving the alienage.

"Soris, don't…"

"And it's not like you've been living the high life. Your friends told us what it's been like for you. At least I've had Shianni and Uncle, a roof over my head, daily meals." He turned his head toward her slightly, not quite looking at her. "I meant what I said that day. You are my hero."

"Pfft." She barely got that out without sobbing and cleared her throat before trying to speak. "Who rescued _me_, Soris? You can credit Nelaros for your bravery, beat yourself up about what was and may have been, and call me a hero if you wish, but if you hadn't made it to me when you did, things would have turned out quite differently. Because of Nelaros and me _and_ you, more of us came out of that nightmare relatively unharmed than didn't."

Kallian grabbed Soris and hugged him, and after a moment he brought his arms up to embrace her. "I don't think I ever said thank you, Soris. _Thank you._"

They held each other for a few minutes and Kallian wondered if she'd ever stop crying, and then Shianni was there throwing her arms around them and she started all over again. A moment later, they broke apart and linked arms, walking back towards Cyrion's house. Alistair was anxious to help the Templar, Ser Otto, and so they gathered outside Cyrion's home to discuss the matter, once her family had departed to get on with their own chores, and Alistair related his conversation with Ser Otto to his friends.

Kallian fixed her gazed on Alistair. "He said he was here to investigate rumours of a blood mage? You don't think that could have been Caladrius, do you?"

Alistair shrugged. "Maybe, but he found no evidence of maleficarum and gave up the search _before_ you killed Caladrius."

They both shuddered at the thought that the mage could have been so powerful as to hide himself from a seasoned Templar. Alistair continued. "Ser Otto's convinced there is something else going on and asked me to look around to see if anything was amiss."

Kallian turned her gaze to the orphanage nearby. "Well, there is some uncongealed blood over there. Smells awful."

He nodded. "And a rabid dog and a dog's corpse. And a woman who's, well, rather crazy. However, she was talking about 'the bad men' and disturbed dogs, her grandmother…"

Kallian nodded. "Okay, sounds easy enough. Let's give him an update and get back to the estate. I could really use a bath."

xXx

Several hours later, Kallian sat outside her father's home hunched over a bucket, retching, her hair twisted into a knot at the base of her neck to keep it out of her face. Wynne was inside, tending to Zevran, who had received a gash to his thigh, and Alistair, who had taken a blow to the forehead and was suffering from a concussion. Kallian herself managed to avoid serious injury and had insisted Wynne look to the men. That was when she finally let her guard down, trying to relax, and became violently ill. In a way, it was a relief. The effort of keeping herself together had become quite tiresome.

Ser Otto had been correct. Something else had been lurking about in the shadows of the alienage. What she had thought would be a simple 'here's what we saw, see you later' conversation turned into another task. The Templar needed help and he had seemed like a good sort, so _why not?_ she had thought. Even Zevran, normally rather cynical about those who could not help themselves, had agreed.

Upon entering the orphanage, Kallian had been on edge. There was a _feeling_ in the very air, just as Ser Otto had said, and the walls, floor and ceiling were splattered with blood. Creepy didn't begin to describe it. The ghost of a child ran ahead of them reciting a poem – _I'm a maiden, Ser Wilhem, Ser Wilhem. But I'm dying, Ser Wilhem, Ser Wilhem, in pain_. – and the eerie disembodied voice floated throughout the building. Kallian had been missing Lucius' company but was quite grateful she hadn't brought him with her when they were set upon by a small pack of rabid mabari. In one room they passed through, a child's blocks were scattered about the floor and as they passed them, jolts of electricity would arc across the nearest block, flipping it over. In another room, the spirit of a woman attacked them, but she apparently could not die, a fact she recited over and over again. No sooner was she slain than she arose again, but thankfully she did not attack them again.

They continued on, the child's voice singing _One, two Maric's run through. Three, four the kingdom's at war._ And then they found themselves in a large open room, with bookshelves and other bits of furniture strewn about. Ser Otto stopped and announced that this was the center of it all, and that's when it first became clear what they were dealing with.

"Leave, mortal, you do not belong here!" A deep and gravelly voice roared out from all around them.

Ser Otto challenged the demon to show itself and a fiery form clawed its way out of the floor, rising to loom over them. Fear and the energy one builds during battle coursed through Kallian. Demons were worse than darkspawn. They could talk, they could trick, they could possess. She didn't know what kind of demon this was, rage or pride or something else, she couldn't tell sometimes, but it didn't matter. It engaged them immediately and she had to fight back. Their weapons were coated with frost in a heartbeat, while Wynne's warding glyphs appeared on the floor around them. That accomplished, the mage began to fire a series of icy spells at the demon. Winter's Grasp, Cone of Cold, and finally Blizzard. Alistair charged at the demon, shield and sword fully engaged, paying no attention to the ice that was forming on his armour. Zevran had slipped into the shadows to circle the demon and, using momentum, executed a series of dual-weapons sweeps and whirlwinds with ease. Wynne, meanwhile, began to assist Kallian with the shades that kept appearing from beneath the floor. They were eventually victorious, but Ser Otto felt something emanating from the building next door, and they continued their search.

As Kallian and her team made their way through the orphanage, they had to fight off rampaging spirits, lesser shades, rioting spirits, greater shades, and finally a rage abomination, before they made their way into the next building. Another demon conversed with Ser Otto before it appeared and Kallian found herself questioning her current training regime; she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. They were forced to fight again, but quite suddenly it was over. _Maker help us, _Kallian thought, propping herself up against a wall_._

Ser Otto said he could feel the darkness receding, that he had seen the work of demons in the past, and Kallian was thinking to herself _so have we and _that_ seemed a bit too easy_, when his chest lurched forward and the prongs of a pitchfork protruded from it by several inches, its handle sticking out of his back. At the same time, fire sprouted up from the floor and a far more powerful demon than the ones they had just defeated appeared, yelling "And now you die". Ser Otto's body rose up several feet into the air, his arms and head hanging back as unseen hands turned the pitchfork's prongs to the ceiling, and then he was falling to the floor like a rag doll.

Kallian's mind railed against this horrific vision, while her instincts pushed her into yet another battle. Experience and instinct kept her on her feet, but part of her mind was still trying to process Otto's death. She barely knew the man, had only known him for…how long had they been at this? She had lost all track of time, but certainly not long enough to know much about him, and yet she was mourning his loss. Alistair had said the Templar had seemed genuinely interested in improving the lot of the elves, in ridding the alienage of this evil. She side stepped Ser Otto's corpse to launch an attack against a lesser rage demon that had appeared behind Zevran, and threw herself at it, her strikes becoming fiercer, making short work of the thing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alistair fall, saw Zevran run to the warrior's side even as blood was running down his own leg. A stray arcane bolt hit the wall a short distance away and Wynne was rushing over to the men, healing magic flowing from her hands. Kallian remembered falling to her knees, panting, tears streaming down her face as she stared at Ser Otto, impaled with the pitchfork, until the sound of Wynne's voice had snapped her out of it. She couldn't remember how exactly they had managed to get Zevran and Alistair back to her father's house, but here they were. Cyrion and her cousins had returned home just as the four arrived and from their expressions, Kallian and her friends must have looked worse than they had the day before.

A hand touched her shoulder and she started. Her father was smiling down at her.

"They will both be fine after they rest a bit. Wynne is going to go to the Chantry to let them know of Ser Otto's death and will continue on to the Arl's estate to make sure he knows where you all are. I thought you might be more comfortable inside. Come, sit while we make dinner." He coaxed her up and gently pushed her toward the door. "I'll take care of this, you go." He waved a hand to the bucket she'd been using.

Smiling weakly, she accepted his help standing and wandered into the house, barely registering the fact that Soris and Shianni were cooking in the kitchen or that the floorboards in one corner of the main room had been pulled up. Wynne stopped her and checked her temperature, handing over some poultices and injury kits before taking her leave. Kallian suggested Wynne stay at the estate to rest; she would return with Alistair and Zevran after dinner. Kallian striped down to her tunic and leggings and knelt by the same bed she had woken up in the night before, taking Zevran's hand in hers. His colour was returning, slowly, and signs of the cut to his thigh were nearly gone.

"You look tired, mia cara." Zevran said, a smile spreading across his face. His eyes were still closed.

"Pfft. You haven't even looked at me yet." She got onto the bed and snuggled up beside him, her body pressed into his back.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked, bringing her hand to his lips.

"I don't feel like throwing up any more, if that's what you mean. Demons just…mess me up more than anything else and I liked Ser Otto. I'm just glad the two of you are okay and we cleared the area of demons."

"Thanks, I was starting to feel a little left out over here," Alistair mumbled, and Kallian realized he was on her father's bed which had been brought in from the other room and was along the wall opposite the bunk bed, other furnishings moved to accommodate the addition.

Alistair was sitting up slowly, sniffing the air. "What is that I smell?" Without waiting for an answer, he got up and made his way into the next room. Kallian could hear Shianni telling him to sit down and stay out of the way.

Zevran rolled over to face Kallian, fingers stroking her cheek. "Don't look so sad, my lovely Warden. Ser Otto's death is lamentable, but there is good news as you say. We have saved lives, vanquished the evil that was preying on these people, and shall all live to fight another day, yes?"

"Yes. Yes, you are right. I'll be all right. I just need a good meal and a bath and a good night's sleep…"

"I think I know what else you need. I would be more than happy to offer my services…" A footstep and the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted him.

"Kallian, may I speak to you for a moment?" Cyrion asked.

The Warden's eyes widened as Zevran chuckled. Punching him lightly in the chest, she scrambled to get out of the cramped space without smacking her head on the upper bunk. She was blushing furiously when she finally stood before her father. Rather than look disappointed, however, he was smiling.

"I am surprised you didn't notice that I pulled up the floorboards in the kitchen."

She stared blankly at him for a moment and then stepped to the other room to take a look before looking back at Cyrion. "What is going on, Papae?"

I had to pull up the floor boards for this." He held out an elegant silverite dagger, the highly polished sliver and blue tones gleaming. "This is the Fang of Fen'Harel, originally used in the battles to save the Dales. It is an heirloom of your mother's, passed down to her mother and grandmother before her, and I think it's about time it was passed on to you."

Kallian had been wringing her hands in front of her from the moment she set eyes on the dagger. She had seen her mother wield this very dagger so many years before, but had assumed it was confiscated the day her mother was murdered.

"Are you going to take it, da'len?" Cyrion's eyes sparkled.

Kallian reached out slowly. "Oh, Papae. I…I don't know what to say." She turned the blade over and back again in her hand, eventually sheathing it. "Thank you. Thank you so much." She threw her arms around her father and kissed him several times on the cheek.

"All right, all right, da'len. Dinner is ready. Come eat, you two."

xXx

Kallian wanted to seek Eamon out as soon as they arrived at the estate and only paused long enough to speak to a maid named Nigella to ask that baths be drawn for them all. From there it was a short walk into Eamon's study. He was sitting in an overstuffed chair by the fire reading a book.

"Ah, there you are! I was about to send out a search party." He motioned them to sit with him.

Kallian removed her helm and shook out her hair. "I apologize for our appearance, my lord, but we thought it best to speak to you immediately. I trust Wynne has spoken to you?"

He smiled and nodded, offering them wine which he then poured himself. "I have been hearing of a great commotion in the alienage. What exactly happened there?"

As he handed out goblets of wine and took his seat, Kallian told him all the events of the past two days. When she was finished, he shook his head slowly.

"I am sorry to hear of your losses, Warden." He stared into the flames of the fire for a moment. "Maker forgive me, I should be appalled that such a thing could exist here, but I am overjoyed that you can implicate Loghain in this scheme. We must end the civil war quickly. What the blight does not corrupt in this land, politics surely will."

"When will you call the Landsmeet, my lord?" She couldn't help noticing Alistair paled.

Eamon stood, encouraging the others to as well. "I have received word that the last of the nobles who are scheduled to attend the Landsmeet are due to arrive in Denerim within the next few days. I would suggest that you help yourself to the amenities here. The training yard, armoury, library, all is at your disposal. Now if you will excuse me, I wish to retire. It has been a somewhat distressing evening. You may help yourself to the kitchen, although I suspect the staff will bring food to your rooms."

The three companions left behind remained silent while they finished their wine. The fire slowly died down, Zevran poured the remains of the bottle into their goblets, and Alistair eventually stood.

"Zev, thanks for…you know, keeping an eye on me earlier."

"Oh, it was my pleasure, my lord Prince Alistair." Zevran ignored the glare Alistair levelled at him. "You will be king, yes? That will be a great advantage to me when I am an unemployed assassin trying to earn a living."

"What? No! Why on earth would I…?"

"I only ask that you keep me in mind, your Highness."

"I don't like you," Alistair mumbled as he left the room.

Zevran's gaze turned to Kallian. It seemed to be the case more and more often that they did not need to speak. He quirked an eyebrow and she was in his arms, melting her form against his.


	22. A Day of Rest

**Author's Note:**Here you go, Zevgirl! This one's for you. Thanks for the advice; you'll see it in action soon.

House guests, semester start up at the university where I work, my husband, pets, my workout routine (!)…all have deserved some attention, and so I have slacked off on the writing. However, I do hope to have another chapter up soon.

I would like to thank _everyone_ who has added me or my story to an alert or favourite list. I love that people like what I'm writing, even if it is just for fun, and I really like hearing from readers as well. Please comment, criticize or, Maker be willing, praise, and if you know of my grammar peeves, and spot any here, chastise me!

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**A Day of Rest**

Kallian and Zevran made their way to their chambers, hand in hand, not saying anything. As they slipped into the room, Zevran locked the door and then gently steered his clearly distracted lover toward the armour and weapons racks. Still reeling from the events of the past two days, Kallian absentmindedly pulled her weapons and armour off, hung them and stood by the fire, naked, staring into the flames. Zevran removed and stored his equipment and checked on the bath water. Finding it was still quite warm, he added some hot water from a bucket at the edge of the fireplace and stirred in a mixture of oils he had made for the purpose of relaxing. Shedding his small clothes, he stood behind Kallian and slid his arms around her waist.

"I…I don't know what to say or think about what's happened." She whispered after a moment.

Zevran turned her in his arms and kissed her. His kiss was gentle, yet passionate, and it roused her. She responded fiercely and they kissed until she was lightheaded and weak-kneed. Breathless, she pulled away from Zevran, her fingers brushing her swollen lips.

"Ah, you are a wicked little cock tease, my dear Warden." He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bath, carefully stepping in and settling them down in the water so she sat with her back to him.

"Oh, this is nice," she sighed, leaning back against him, pulling his arms around her ribs.

They stayed that way for several minutes, before she finally shifted and reached for the soap and wash cloth.

"So…what did you talk about while I was sleeping yesterday?" Kallian asked as she lathered up the cloth and began to wash herself. Surely they hadn't sat around in silence for two hours.

Zevran chuckled. "Your father and cousins wanted to know what had happened to you after you were taken away, understandably. Alistair and Wynne told them about the battle of Ostagar and your adventures since."

"Pfft, _adventures_. Sure, if you call killing a broodmother an adventure…or darkspawn, bandits, peasants desperate for the bounty on our heads." Something dawned on her. "Oh, _Maker_! You didn't tell them…I mean…we take everything that isn't nailed down and practically strip the dead naked." She groaned, only slightly reassured by the fact that her father hadn't mentioned it.

Zevran smiled. "No, Alistair did not mention how it is that you have survived all this time and managed to fund an army, but I do not think your father is _quite_ so naive. Alistair did, of course feel the need to go into great detail about how I came to join your little group."

She laughed. "Of course. But I suppose that didn't go over quite as badly as it might have?"

"No, I don't suppose it did," he said thoughtfully, taking the cloth and soap from her.

Kallian turned around to face Zevran, leaning back against the tub. "And?"

Zevran smiled at her, which caused a familiar reaction within her, and began to wash himself.

"I would say your family was too happy to be reunited with you and each other, and perhaps in shock over hearing of what you have been doing these past several months, to comment. Alistair did do me the courtesy of mentioning that I have not tried to kill you since and was an asset to the team, which I must say surprised me, and that seemed to allay any fears they may have had over our relationship."

Kallian laughed. "And how did you end up cooking dinner? Shianni doesn't like sharing the kitchen."

"Wynne suggested I do something, so I started talking to Shianni about what she was cooking. She knows her way around the kitchen, but she boils everything far too much and doesn't use herbs and spices. So typical of you Fereldens."

He was still smiling and his voice hadn't changed. His tone was good humoured and light, but something passed over his eyes. It was so quick she wasn't entirely certain she had seen it.

"You were worried about me."

Zevran put the soap and cloth down and rinsed himself before reaching out for her hands. Pulling her to him and holding her in his lap, he cupped her cheek in his hand and brushed his thumb over her lips. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough.

"I suppose I was, mia cara."

Kallian's eyes caught Zevran's. He pulled her close for a kiss and she lost herself in him. She was only vaguely aware of them leaving the bath, of Zevran pulling towels from the rack and laying her down on the fur by the fire, but she was very much aware of his touch. Zevran's kisses and hot breath trailed across her face, ears, neck, and breasts, where he paused to suckle and gently pinch her nipples, and down her belly. Warm hands stroked her body; fingers kneaded her flesh, every touch sending a thrill through her. Her skin tingled.

"Oh!" Kallian's back arched as Zevran spread her legs and kissed her moist sex, his tongue plunging into her.

Before long she was on the edge and then she was falling, waves of pleasure flowing through her, as she called out his name, begging for more. He was on her and sheathed in her in one stroke and within minutes she shuddered with a second orgasm, every inch of her body more sensitive than she had ever thought possible. Zevran moved within her, arms pulling her closer to him, gasping her name. He pulled away from Kallian and rolled her to her side. Kneeling to straddle her bottom leg so he could penetrate her again, he lifted her top leg and rested it against his body, sliding into her.

Kallian's eyes flew open. "Zev! Oh, Zev, that…there…_OH_!"

He could feel her muscles contracting around him again and with a feral growl, Zevran thrust into her harder, shouting out as he reached his climax. Kallian shuddered and bucked against him, tears of joy tickling her ears. Zevran lowered her leg and fell to the fur, pulling her close. They lay there for several minutes, clinging to each other, panting in the dying firelight. Finally, Zevran rose and lifted Kallian, moving her to the bed, where they fell into a deep and contented sleep in each other's arms.

xXx

Alistair, Zevran and Kallian arose early and spent the following morning training and playing games with Lucius, who was quite happy to be back in their company. Midday found the four of them sprawled out on a patch of grass within the estate's walls, watching the clouds roll in. A handful of soldiers from Eamon's guard were training nearby, wooden swords clapping against armour.

Lucius loved a good game of fetch, and Zevran had fashioned a sling that enabled him to throw a ball much further and faster than with his own arm. This had led to an hour of the game along the Drakon River, but it took easily another hour of tug-o-war and keep-away to tire the hound. Kallian had brushed him and reapplied his Warpaint of the West Hills. Kaddis now abandoned, her paint-covered fingers were intertwined with Zevran's.

A dark cloud passed over the sun, casting the entire yard into shadow, and fat rain drops began to fall. The pace of the rain was slow at first, and the four companions took their time gathering their weaponry, but the light shower became a downpour rather suddenly and everyone in the yard was racing to get back inside. Lucius found new energy and leapt about the yard, barking, his jaws snapping at the rain. Kallian ran around with him for a moment and then stopped and stood with her face to the sky, arms outstretched, and laughed.

xXx

Dripping wet, they filed back into the main hall where servants were helping soldiers out of their armour. Towels were being handed around and the cook announced that lunch would be ready within the half hour. Divested of their armour, Alistair, Zevran and Kallian went to their rooms to change into dry clothing, Lucius tagging along behind. When they returned to the great hall, they found the entire household present.

"I wonder when the others will return." Kallian pondered as Zevran led her to the high table.

"I am sure they will be another day at least, depending on what they have found. We should see sign of them late tomorrow, bella," he murmured in her ear. She had looked quite lovely in her damp tunic and leggings and he would have kept her in their room had they not been so hungry.

Anora smiled shyly and asked Kallian and Alistair to sit on either side of her. Zevran raised an eyebrow as he helped Kallian get seated. She widened her eyes as if to say _I don't know. _Alistair looked slightly uncomfortable, but managed an awkward, lopsided grin. Smoothing his dark blue tunic, he sat and surveyed Anora for a moment.

"You've changed your hair. It looks nice."

Kallian was surprised. Anora _had_changed her hair. Instead of two tightly wound coils at the base of her neck, she was wearing a loose braid down her back and strands of hair framed her face, making her look softer than usual. That Alistair would think to say anything was a surprise, but even more so was the fact that Anora blushed slightly and looked down at her hands. Zevran nudged Kallian as he sat, an amused grin on his face.

"Thank you, Alistair. It is kind of you to say." Anora replied. Alistair bowed his head to her and busied himself with pouring her some wine, causing Kallian to smile.

The cacophony of chatter in the room grew as servants brought plates of fruit and bread to each table. Plates of steaming vegetables and venison followed, with the usual and ever present gravy. Zevran rolled his eyes, but helped himself to a liberal portion of everything, slipping a slice of meat and some gravy-soaked bread under the table to Lucius. Everyone began eating, the sound of talking and laughing barely diminishing.

After a while, Anora turned to Kallian. "Warden…"

"Please, call me Kallian, milady."

Anora dipped her head slightly. "Thank you. You may call me Anora when we are in less formal situations." She fidgeted with the napkin in her lap for a moment before turning her blue eyes toward Kallian.

"I wanted to tell you myself how terribly sorry I am to hear of what has been happening in the alienage. That it was going on under my nose is awful enough, but to know that my father knew about it, _agreed _to it…"

Kallian tilted her head toward Anora. "I cannot hold you accountable for your father's actions. He alone bears responsibility for what he has done." She paused, uncertain of how much she could or should say. "I regret what must be done."

Anora's expression grew grim, but she nodded. The Teryn's execution would be called for, as it would in any other man's case. Slavery, conspiring to and attempting to kill an Arl, interfering with a Templar's duties, kidnapping, torture, abandoning the battlefield and their King, all his men…she saw no way around it. Looking past Anora to Alistair, she knew from the expression on his face that he was thinking the same thing and was aware of the pain it would cause Anora. All things considered, this was reassuring. She risked giving Anora's hand a quick squeeze before turning back to her meal and was rewarded with a gentle "Thank you".

xXx

Dinner had been served, everyone had eaten their fill, and stories had been told around the tables in the great hall. Over the evening, however, Kallian had noticed a difference in the way the group behaved. The knights who were not on duty weren't leaving to go drinking or gambling or…she didn't want to imagine what else they might do; Anora and Isolde were not in a hurry to depart to their chambers; Isolde was indulging Connor's wish to stay up; Bodahn Feddic was being unusually generous with his stock of ales and wines, selling to the knights at a truly significant discount; Eamon and Teagan were pouring generously from their cellars and were partaking of quite a bit themselves; even Alistair, Zevran and Wynne were indulging more than they normally would. Kallian, on the other hand, found herself feeling a bit too distracted with thoughts of the upcoming Landsmeet to drink and simply watched the evening unfold.

There was a somewhat unsettled sense of anticipation in the room. They were waiting, all of them, for something to happen. Word had spread that the four missing members of the Grey Wardens' party had gone to investigate Loghain's rumoured troop movements in the Bannorn and everyone was eager to know of their progress. The Arl had also received a message from his scout that confirmed the Landsmeet could be convened by mid-day two days hence, when all nobles required to be in attendance would be in the city. With the Maker's blessing, he had said, this would all be settled this time the day after tomorrow and they could focus on fighting the blight. No one had really known how to react to that. _"Civil war averted, on to the battle with the archdemon and its darkspawn hoard. Huzzah!" hardly seems appropriate,_Kallian had thought at the time.

Eventually, duty and propriety prevailed in spite of the alcohol consumed. The sober evening guard took to their stations and the rest of Eamon's knights were dismissed for the evening. Most retreated to their dormitory, some slipped out to pursue other activities. Isolde and Eamon took Connor to bed and Teagan and Wynne wandered off to the library, chatting about the Circle of the Magi. Anora once again thanked Kallian and her companions for their efforts on behalf of Ferelden and retired with her maid Erlina at her heels. Kallian found herself standing with Alistair and Zevran and, not quite ready to retire, suggested they climb to the battlements.

A cool evening breeze was blowing from the east, bringing the smells of the Amaranthine Ocean and Denerim's docks up the Drakon River to Arl Eamon's estate to mingle with the smells of human habitation, rain, earth and the flora within and around the estate. The setting sun painted the horizon with a wide swath of red that faded into shades of pink against the deepening blue of the now clear skies. The moon was rising, the occasional star could be seen twinkling faintly as night fell, and a comfortable silence was settling over the estate. Zevran stood behind Kallian, his arms around her, on the west end of the wall, watching the sun set. Alistair was a few feet away, his eyes on the city streets below. After a while, Kallian spoke.

"It looks as though you and Anora have become…friends?"

Alistair cleared his throat. "Well, er…yes, I suppose. She is sometimes up quite late in the kitchens, and when I can't sleep…we have had a few occasions to talk now." He shifted to face her.

"It just seems so strange to suddenly be betrothed to someone about whom you know nothing, never mind how this is all coming about. She is my brother's widow, a woman of some experience raised to be where she is, and I…well, I'm Chantry raised and a commoner, in comparison. You know, I didn't really realize just how much Cailan and I resemble each other. She has a portrait of him, clean shaven with short hair, and we could have been twins." He shook his head.

"As strange as this is for me, it must be…awful for her. I think she really loved Cailan. I guess I just want to try to make this easier for her. So far, she doesn't seem to think I'm such an idiot," he chuckled. "Even suggested some books on governing she thought I should read."

Kallian felt a surge of pride and love for her fellow Grey Warden. "Alistair, I'm impressed. That's really kind and thoughtful of you and I'm sure Anora will appreciate the effort. You know, I couldn't help but notice she has a set of armour and a pair of daggers."

Both Alistair and Zevran raised an eyebrow. Kallian nodded. "I am serious. I saw it all on racks in her room when I spoke with her after we rescued her from Howe's estate. You might want to ask her if she would like to train with us or spar with you. "

Zevran chuckled. "And before long you shall be well on your way to producing an heir, yes?"

Kallian thought Alistair might choke. "What? No! Well…ah, _why_did you have to bring that up?" He rubbed his now very red face with his hands. "I'm going to the library. If it weren't for Kallian, I'd lock you out up here." With that he gave her shoulder a squeeze and retreated into the estate.

"You really are terrible, Zevran Arainai."

"Mmmm, and yet you do not seem to mind so much." He nuzzled her ear.

"No, I don't." Turning to face him, she slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I don't mind at all." She barely remembered anything about the walk back to their room.

xXx

Kallian was in the yard playing keep-away with Lucius; Zevran and Alistair sat nearby sharpening their weapons. They had spent the day very much as they had the previous, training, playing with Lucius, and eating, with the addition of maintenance. Kallian could almost hear Oghren yelling that it was time to start killing things and wondered if the end of the blight would be different. Was her unease now a result of not being able to take action just yet, of having to wait for certain details to fall into place, knowing that there was still work to be done, or was it the result of not having to rough it and fight for life daily? Would she be this bored once the blight was over? Before she had much time to contemplate that question, a dark speck on the horizon caught her attention. As it grew closer, she tossed Lucius' stick across the yard and walked to the gates of the estate. Before long, a raven flew into the yard and landed a short distance away from Kallian where it was hidden from view of most of the people in the courtyard. In a shimmer of light, the bird transformed and Morrigan stood before her.

"I don't think that will ever fail to impress, Morrigan. It is good to see you."

Morrigan nodded. She had no use for such sentiment, but she had come to value Kallian's manner and friendship and found herself pleased to see the young woman looking healthy. "You are looking well. I trust you have recovered from your ordeal."

"Mmm. And then some. We have stories to tell, my friend, but I am curious to know what you have discovered. I trust you are all well?"

"The Orlesian bard and that repulsive dwarf still live, if that is what you are wondering." Kallian thought a smile tugged at Morrigan's lips. She noticed that Zevran and Alistair were watching them from across the yard.

"Loghain sought to seize a Bann Telmen's lands. Loghain's men were no challenge for us, although the Bann did lose a soldier. There were minor injuries, nothing I could not handle, and we have a prisoner of war. We were able to…convince him to tell us of Loghain's plans. The bard did not want to kill him, given that he surrendered…" Morrigan's voice trailed off and she stood watching Kallian, waiting for a response.

Kallian nodded. "Thank you, Morrigan. Do you need time to freshen up? Something to eat?"

She shook her head. "I should return, lest the others find themselves in need. We are but a few hours away and should arrive in time for the evening meal."

"We shall see you then." The two women nodded to each other and Morrigan turned toward the estate entrance. Kallian knew she would likely leave as a bird from the battlements.

Approaching Alistair and Zevran, she gave them the 'thumbs up'. "They shall be here for dinner. Come; Arl Eamon and Bann Teagan will want to hear about this." She looped her arms through theirs and steered them toward the estate, happy that things were moving forward again.


	23. Final Preparations

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much, readers, for your continued support and encouragement. To those who have recently added me and/or my story to a favourite or alert list, thank you thank you! Of course Bioware owns all and I'm just playing with it.

Not so sure about this chapter, but here it is. Please comment and review, let me know what you like, don't like, et cetera. I love hearing from you. Cheers!

* * *

**Final Preparations**

Eamon's library was quiet. It was still fairly early in the evening, but most of the household was turning in for the night at Eamon's orders. Everyone in the household was to get a good night's rest in preparation for the Landsmeet the next afternoon, but the Wardens were to meet with him and the Queen before they retired. In spite of her earlier enthusiasm at the prospect of finally getting _back to work_, Kallian's stomach had turned at the mention of the Landsmeet. Now, as she stood before the fire waiting for the others to arrive, clutching the same goblet of wine she'd been holding for the past hour and fidgeting with the embroidery on her dress, she had no idea what was supposed to happen tomorrow. She had no clue how this sort of thing _worked_ and she was scared. _I can run up the back of an ogre and run my longsword through its eye, but this has me quaking in my boots? What is _wrong_ with me?_

"Careful you don't break that goblet." Anora's voice startled Kallian. "Personally," she continued, her voice lowered to conspiratorial tones, "I wouldn't mind if you did. I have always thought they were hideous."

Kallian couldn't help but laugh. The clay goblets were a rather ugly, mottled shade of blue. "I am sorry. I find myself rather concerned about tomorrow. I thought I was made of tougher stuff."

"I haven't slept more than a few hours a night for days now, Kallian, and I have attended many a Landsmeet."

"I don't think this will be quite the same, though, will it."

"No." Anora replied softly, taking a drink.

The two women stood in silence for a moment. Kallian tried not to look too surprised that Anora was being so personable, but as the thought ran through her mind, she wondered what she had expected. Someone more like Loghain? Anora didn't seem to share the man's arrogance, paranoia, lust for power…the list went on. She didn't even really look like him. He had black hair and a rugged complexion; she was fair with delicate features and she seemed genuine, not prone to pretence. They could hear Alistair laughing nervously from somewhere down the hall followed by the low rumble of Eamon's voice. Anora turned to Kallian.

"Did you…I mean, I thought maybe you might have suggested that Alistair…"

"Oh, no, that was his idea. Honestly!" She added when Anora raised an eyebrow.

"We seem to keep bumping into each other in the kitchen late at night and have talked about Cailan, Maric, and our…arrangement." She smiled sadly. "He isn't what I had expected."

Footsteps were coming closer now. Kallian leaned toward Anora. "He is a very kind and honourable man, Anora, and I think he has the capacity to be a great king. He may hide behind a veil of sarcasm and humour, and bumble around when it comes to women, but given time…" Kallian winked as Alistair, Eamon and Teagan entered the library. Anora smiled back and they both turned to face the three men.

"Good evening, Anora, Kallian." Eamon sat on his desk and waved to the chairs around it. "Please, have a seat."

Kallian watched with an amused smile as Alistair escorted Anora to a stuffed armchair before sitting on its mate nearby. They made a handsome couple, really. She hoped what she was seeing now was the beginning of a solid friendship, at least. If they could grow to love one another…well, that would be a nice bonus.

Eamon sipped some wine and sighed. "I thought perhaps Alistair and Kallian would appreciate knowing what could happen tomorrow."

"Thank the Maker," Kallian sighed. She blushed when she realized she had spoken out loud. "I am a bit nervous."

Alistair laughed. "I'm glad I'm not the only one."

"We have called this Landsmeet to challenge Loghain's actions since Ostagar and his claim to the throne. He will be allowed to present his case; we will present ours and put forward Maric's son Alistair as the next king, with Anora as his queen." He looked to Kallian.

"You have all the papers regarding the slave trade agreement and will bring them with you, yes?" She nodded. "You have spoken to Banns Sighard and Alfstanna, and they have both been reunited with their kin. Knowing this, I have no doubt we can rely on their support, as well as that of the Grand Cleric, although that will not count for much in and of itself. Arl Wulffe knows all too well that the blight is real; Orlais did not wipe out his lands. He will support us if you raise Loghain's obsession with Orlais and its interference with the war against the blight. The other nobles will be given an opportunity to vote for us or Loghain, the result being placing Alistair on the throne as king or leaving the rule of Ferelden as it is. There may be much shouting and arguing. Ferelden nobility has been known to behave rather ignobly at times."

Kallian cleared her throat. "Will Loghain simply accept the decision if the Landsmeet sides with us?"

There was a slightly awkward silence and then Anora spoke. "No, he will not. He believes he is right and he is a stubborn man." Her voice trembled slightly and she paused to clear her throat. "I think it would be best if I were to retire for the evening, Eamon."

Everyone stood and Kallian looked to Alistair with a raised eyebrow and cocked her head toward Anora.

"Anora, may I escort you to your rooms?" Alistair asked, not missing a beat.

"Thank you, Alistair. Please, if you wouldn't mind." Her voice was steady once again, but a sense of grief hung heavy around her. She bade the others a good night and took Alistair's arm, letting him steer her out of the room.

As the sound of their footsteps disappeared down the hall, Kallian turned back to Eamon who was regarding the doorway with a curious look. She smiled. "Alistair has taken it upon himself to befriend Anora," she said with a shrug. "Ummm…"

Kallian shifted uneasily and sat down again, trying to find a delicate way to ask the question she wanted to ask, but found herself chewing her lip instead. Eamon and Teagan waited patiently for her to come to a decision.

"Okay. How will that work? If Loghain refuses to accept Alistair as king, I mean. What then?"

"There will be a duel. Loghain will, of course, fight on his own behalf; you may fight him yourself or chose a champion. The Landsmeet supports the winner, regardless." This gave her pause. Loghain was a powerful warrior and could not be taken lightly as an opponent. The idea that they could win and then be defeated immediately thereafter in a duel was daunting.

"Loghain must be executed." Kallian stated simply.

"Yes." Eamon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Traditionally, the sentence, usually beheading, would be carried out immediately, there in the Landsmeet chamber."

Kallian rubbed her face, paling slightly. "What? But…This is going to be difficult. Alistair cannot do it. I don't think Anora would honour their betrothal if he did. As for me…If I wish to maintain a relationship with the royal couple, and how could I _not_, I would much rather not be the one to wield the blade. Anora would simply see her father's executioner every time we meet. And right there? In front of her? I wish I didn't, but I know what a mess that will make. Ach."

She pushed herself back up out of her chair and snatched up her goblet of wine, finally drinking a mouthful. She faced Eamon and Teagan.

"I need to think about…what to do about that. Even if my father did something that resulted in a well-deserved execution, I could not be _witness_ to it. If I had no choice, by virtue of the circumstances…" Kallian didn't need to finish her thought; Eamon and Teagan were both nodding.

"It is not something I would wish on anyone," Teagan agreed. "What will you do?"

"Mmm. I have numerous party members who would be agreeable to….that. However, Morrigan is an apostate and I do not wish to draw attention to her. Sten, the Qunari…well, he'd cut Loghain in half with barely any effort, which just seems too much. The same can be said for Oghren and as much as I love the dwarf, he'd rush in screaming and yelling. Not an option." She paced back and forth a few times, draining her goblet.

"Are there rules against fighting with poisonous blades?" Something to slow Loghain down would give her champion an advantage.

Eamon raised an eyebrow, assuming that she was now thinking of choosing her lover as her champion. He wondered for a moment if it would be a good idea for the Warden's, and Alistair's, association with an Antivan Crow to become public knowledge, but quickly dismissed the concern, realizing that it was very likely already a well-known fact that the Antivan and his former mark were now bound to each other.

"I do not think there are. Bann Alfstanna is the voice to whom we defer for matters pertaining to protocol, and she is not unfamiliar with the Antivan Crows and their methods. If she objects, Zevran will have to be prepared to use other weapons, I suppose." He looked to Teagan who nodded in agreement.

Kallian rolled her shoulders back. If Zevran failed…"Very well. Thank you, Eamon, Teagan. Your counsel is greatly appreciated. I have much to consider and should probably try to get some sleep. Good night."

"And to you, Kallian. Maker watch over you."

"And you as well, gentlemen." Bowing slightly, Kallian turned and left, slowly making her way to her room while a jumble of thoughts ran through her head.

xXx

Reaching her room, she entered, closed the door, heard a warning shout and was promptly accosted by Lucius, who knocked her back into the door and began to lick her face.

"Gah! Lucius…ugh…get off!" She pushed him down with no small amount of effort and scratched behind his ears. "It's good to see you, too." She looked for Zevran.

He was at the fireplace, putting a log on the brazier where a small fire was slowly building. A candelabra with ten thick white candles was standing in the opposite corner, ablaze. Wine was poured and waiting on a small table by the bath tub with a plate of grapes, cheese and dried meat. A tub of hot steaming water scented with rose essence was calling to her. Wiping his hands on a cloth near the fire, Zevran stood and went to Kallian's side. He knew from the expression on her face that she was anxious.

"Mia cara, what is it?" Slipping behind her, he began to rub her shoulders, while steering her toward the dressing screen.

"Oh, you know." She sighed and began to unlace her dress. Slowly sliding it off her shoulders and onto the floor, she turned to face him.

"Anora is certain her father will challenge us, even if the Landsmeet supports us. This would result in a duel, winner takes all. If we win, Loghain's execution would be called for and from what I hear that means beheading right then and there. And if we don't win, I suppose that would be bad."

She looked decidedly uncomfortable and given that she was not a stranger to gruesome deaths, he could only assume that she was concerned about Anora. She would be there, of course, and Loghain was her father. Zevran said so as he led Kallian to the tub and they climbed in. They bathed and talked, drinking wine and snacking.

When the water had finally cooled down, they climbed out and dried off by the fire. Kallian told Zevran of her conversation with Eamon and Teagan regarding who should execute Loghain and repeated her reasoning as to why she and Alistair should not do it. He did not need to be asked; he offered to be her champion. This had an unusual effect on the Warden. Her eyes filled with tears and she threw her arms around him.

"Loghain is a powerful man, Zev, and he is not some mindless walking dead or darkspawn. I couldn't bear it if…"

He kissed her, lifting and carrying her to their bed. Imagining for a moment that this might be the last time they would ever make love, he worshiped every inch of his Grey Warden until they were both weak and breathless.

xXx

Kallian had awoken at dawn and dressed in her leathers, wanting to practice to wear off some of the nervous energy that was back, jangling her nerves. Leaving a note for Zevran, who barely stirred, she took Lucius down to the training yard, making a quick stop in the kitchens for a snack. Alistair was in the yard, sparring with…Anora. Kallian leaned against the wall and watched them. This was not entirely unexpected; she had suggested it, after all. But to see that the Queen was _actually_ sparring with Alistair, taking his suggestions, smacking his armour with her training daggers as she danced around him…It was nice to see her so lively.

xXx

Zevran arrived in the training yard not too long after and joined Kallian by the wall.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Good morning to you, too, you." She slipped her arms around his waist. "You look marvellous, and yes, provided you think that's Anora. I didn't think he would actually ask her to spar. Maker, I wish I had been there when he did." She giggled, imagining Alistair blushing several shades of red and stammering.

"He has matured quite a bit lately, don't you think?"

Zevran nodded, burying his face into the crook of her neck and breathing deeply. She smelled of roses and sex. "Mmm, mmmm."

His response sent a tremor down her neck and she shuddered slightly with pleasure. "Zev, we're in public, you beast. The future king and queen…"

"And the sense of danger and discovery does not thrill you?" He pulled back, looking into her eyes. "I have more delights to show you, it seems."

Kallian flushed with desire, startled by how quickly she was responding to him. Her breath was quickening and it took a great deal of effort to pull away from him. Reaching for her training weapons, she grinned. "How about we have a quick sparring session ourselves before we eat?"

"I hope we shall have several sparring sessions over the course of the day, my dear Warden." With a wicked grin, Zevran armed himself.

xXx

Kallian stood in front of the vanity, examining herself in the looking glass, pleased with what she saw. She was wearing Sophia Dryden's Warden Commander armour, which had been fully repaired and shined to a highly reflective polish. The helm was caught between her right arm and hip. Anora's maid Erlina had braided her hair into an intricate design that began at her forehead and was quite lovely, and Leliana had insisted on applying a bit of _make up_ of all things. As much as she had protested at first, Kallian had to admit that the results were good and seemed appropriate given that she was about to stand before a large group of nobles in an effort to alter the current course of history. If she wanted to be respected and not brushed aside as the dirty 'knife ear' some of them might think her to be, she should do her best to not look like one.

However, her nerves were threatening to get the better of her once again and vanity was battling with practicality as she wondered whether or not to put the helm on now or wait until it was necessary. Wasting a few seconds to put on one's helm could mean death in battle and she shook her head. Surely looking pretty wasn't worth dying for. _Then again, I'd leave a damn good looking corpse behind._ She giggled to herself.

It was perhaps presumptuous of her to wear this armour to the Landsmeet. She had not been named the Warden Commander of Ferelden officially, but there were only two of them, and no one would deny that Alistair was definitely her second. In spite of the knowledge that there were surviving Wardens in Ferelden, there had been no communication from Weisshaupt and likely would be none until after the blight. She and Alistair had decided they could make up the rules for themselves and bear the consequences later. Whatever it takes to defeat the arch demon. If all went according to plan, his intention was to confirm her placement as Warden Commander as soon as possible and she would lead them into battle. Her stomach tensed at the thought and she took a few deep breaths before nodding to herself in the mirror and turning to collect her weapons. _Let's go._

xXx

The Great Hall was crowded. Eamon, Isolde, Teagan and a small group of knights were preparing to leave for the Landsmeet, while Anora and Erlina would be escorted to the palace separately by another group of knights. Loghain was rumoured to be telling all who would listen that the Wardens had kidnapped and brainwashed his daughter, and as such it was important to conceal her identity until the right moment. Kallian, Alistair, Zevran and Wynne were to head to the Landsmeet chamber floor, where they would confront Loghain. Sten, Oghren, and Leliana would follow, but only as observers until such a time as their assistance might be required. Lucius was to stay behind and he looked rather unhappy about it, having decided to stay in the kennels. Everyone was milling about chatting and confirming final preparations, when Anora approached Kallian and Alistair.

"May I have a word?" She asked politely.

Alistair bowed his head. "Of course." The three of them stepped aside.

"I want to wish you good luck." She seemed to want to say more, but couldn't.

"Thank you, Anora. May the Maker watch over you, milady." She crossed her arms over her chest and bowed.

Anora looked up at Alistair, offering her hand to him. "Take care, Alistair Theiren, and may the Maker watch over you all."

Alistair blushed only slightly and his hands engulfed Anora's as she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I shall." Bowing to her, he kissed her hand and bid her farewell. With a swish of her skirts, she turned and departed the hall, Erlina in tow.

With a great deal of clatter, the various parties made their way out to the courtyard where coaches and horses awaited them. Kallian and her team remained in the hall and she turned to face them all.

Taking a deep breath, she looked to the courtyard. "Well, here we are at last. When I first joined the Grey Wardens I certainly did not think that I would wind up here, of all places, challenging the Crown. I suppose it is a good thing that I have some experience crowning a king, hmm?"

She looked to Alistair, who looked rather imposing in the Juggernaut armour. "Are you ready for this?"

He nodded his head energetically. "Absolutely not, but I'm going anyway because you would probably beat me up if I ran in the other direction now."

Kallian laughed. "Excellent."

She led her companions out into the warm Solace air. As nervous as she was, she knew they would succeed. There was no other option. _Maker's breath, I hope Leliana's right and you are on our side._


	24. The Landsmeet

**The Landsmeet**

They stepped into the courtyard and began the process of trying to get into the carriage Eamon had arranged for them. It was a smaller carriage with no heraldry so as to draw little or no attention to the group and getting in was challenging given three of them were wearing armour, all were carrying weapons of one sort or another, and one of Kallian's smaller packs was on the floor between the benches. Kallian and Wynne had sat on one bench; Zevran sat across from Kallian, next to Alistair. Staff, blades and shield were propped up or held wherever they would fit within the confined space. As he sat down, Zevran's leg touched hers and Kallian looked at him rather absentmindedly, still preoccupied with trying to control her nerves. As their eyes met and he flashed that brilliant, toothy smile at her, it struck her: she would be sending him to his death if she allowed him to be her champion. Her chances were marginally better, given that she was capable of fighting quite well in the heavier armour she wore. She tried to smile back at Zevran but wound up grimacing more than anything and he chuckled.

"You look terrified, my dear Warden. It shall be fine." He reached out to pat her hand. "What is this pack doing here?"

"I wanted to have a few things on hand, poultices, injury kits, that sort of thing, just in case we need them. I didn't realize the carriage would be quite this small." The words rushed out of her a little too quickly and he raised a brow at her. She succeeded in smiling back this time and he seemed reassured.

Kallian swallowed hard and turned to look out the window, trying to relax. Her mind had other plans, however, and before she could stop herself, she thought back on all the things she had dreamed of having when she was older: a husband, a family, a home. _Nothing in my life now is anywhere nearly normal enough to allow me to ever hope for such things, surely._ She gripped her gloves and shifted her shoulders. The bulk of her armour within the confines of the carriage was slightly suffocating.

Looking out to the street, she saw an elven woman and her daughter, a bright little child with red hair and perfect ears, and somehow both her mind and heart made monumental leaps, envisioning a life with Zevran and a little boy or girl of their own with perfectly pointed ears and strawberry blond hair, and she thought her heart would break. She wished she had never thought it, for now the image was burned in her mind and she knew it was a future that would never materialize. Children were likely impossible, and the rest certainly was if she sent Zevran to his death in a duel, and what kind of life would they have in any event?_ Stop, stop, _stop _doing this to yourself. You are not a child with time for fantasies. _She took another deep breath and shifted her thoughts back to the matter at hand.

Zevran was certainly clever enough, but was he _strong_enough to win a duel against Loghain? He had been training with Alistair, but now that she thought on it, she didn't think she had ever seen Zevran win a sparring match against Alistair. If she won against Alistair it was usually due to luck or good timing. She looked at Zevran's weapons and armour. At her request, he was wearing the additional set of Master Wade's Superior Drakeskin armour she had commissioned with the remaining drake scales she had. Wade had fashioned it in a ridiculously short amount of time, quicker even than the dragon scale armour he had made, but it was as good as, if not better than, her own set. It was the best she could put him in without sacrificing too much speed of movement. Zev had Maric's blade, which was best used against the darkspawn, but was also enchanted to bolster one's health and armour. She had insisted he use her mother's dagger, Fang, rather than his own Crow dagger. It was enchanted to augment the varied skills of a rogue. Even so, she didn't think it was enough.

Kallian began to run through the list of things she had brought with her. For weapons, she had Starfang and could use that with Maric's blade. She was wearing two rings: The Key to the City ring she had been received while in Orzammar, and the Ring of the Warrior. She also had an amulet called The Magister's Shield that they had found in the alienage and was wearing the belt Andruil's Blessing. All would give her a better chance at beating Loghain if it came down to that. She could see they were nearing the gates to the Royal Palace and turned to face Alistair. He was staring at his hands, picking at his nails. She noticed they were nicely manicured and smiled when she found herself thinking he had grown up quite a bit in a short time.

**xXx**

"Warden, I am not surprised it has come to this" Ser Cauthrien, Loghain's Lieutenant, sounded tired. She stood in the hallway outside of the Landsmeet chamber, waiting for them and Kallian felt her confidence waiver. Cauthrien was not to be taken lightly.

"Alistair, if you were even remotely worthy of being called Maric's son, you would already be in the Landsmeet, now wouldn't you? You have torn Ferelden apart to oppose the very man who ensured you were born into freedom."

Alistair bristled, but only managed to scowl in response as Cauthrien continued. "Do not think you will get past me to desecrate the Landsmeet itself. The nobles of Ferelden will confirm my lord as regent and we can put this to rest once you are gone."

Kallian thought of her encounter with Ser Landry. Cauthrien was a warrior whose services could be used in the battle to come and she had no desire to kill the woman, but if she was forced to defend herself…Kallian would cross that bridge when she came to it. _No need to be threatening right now._

"Ser, do you _really_not see what Loghain has become? I can prove that he has kidnapped and tortured innocent Fereldens and that he liberated a blood mage from the Chantry's custody, sending that mage to poison the Arl of Redcliffe. I also have documents that show he sold Ferelden citizens into slavery. _My_family and friends, our hahren." Her voice hitched dangerously, but she paused for only a moment to regain her composure.

"There is also some evidence that Loghain has tried to seize land by force from other nobles and a soldier I freed from Howe's dungeons claims Loghain _did_turn and desert the field at Ostagar. You were _there_, Cauthrien."

Cauthrien paused, her eyes wandering around the hall. Kallian counted off the seconds before she spoke, irritated that they were wasting time standing out here. Sixty.

"I…have had…so many doubts of late. Loghain is a great man, but his obsession with the Orlesians has driven him to madness." Cauthrien's chin dropped. "He has done terrible things, I know it, but I owe him everything. I cannot..."

"Let us stop him. You know it's the only way." Cauthrien was nodding slowly, her eyes glistening with tears.

"I never thought duty would taste so bitter. Stop him, Warden. Stop him from betraying everything he once loved." She stood aside. "Please show mercy. Without Loghain, there would be no Ferelden to defend."

Kallian let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in, and they were one step closer. She pushed open the doors to the Landsmeet hall and entered, Alistair, Zevran and Wynne close behind her. Ser Cauthrien did not follow them into the hall, but the door did not close firmly behind them, Kallian noticed. The hall was enormous, longer than it was wide, with vaulted ceilings and balconies looking down from the second floor on either side of the room. There were numerous nobles on the balconies; Kallian could see Bann Alfstanna, Arl Bryland, Arl Wulffe, Eamon, Teagan, Banns Sighard and Ceorlic. Even the Grand Cleric was there. Other nobles she didn't recognize were down on the floor where she spotted Loghain and some of his men mingling amongst them. Eamon was speaking.

"…of the Landsmeet, Teyrn Loghain would have us give up our freedoms, our traditions, out of fear! He placed us on this path, yet we would place our destiny in his hands? Must we sacrifice everything good about our nation to save it?"

Many of the nobles in the chamber cheered, raising their hands in the air. As the cheers died down, the sound of a single person clapping slowly rose above the din. Loghain was walking to the center of the floor, looking up at Eamon.

"A fine performance, Eamon, but no one here is taken in by it." Kallian couldn't help but gulp at the sight of Loghain. He stood a good head and shoulders above her and looked to be that much wider as well, his gaudy guardbraces making his shoulders look ridiculously large.

"You would attempt to put a puppet on the throne and every soul here knows it. The better question is "Who will pull the strings? Ah, here we have the puppeteer."

He was being rather dramatic, Kallian thought as he swivelled his head towards her. She continued a few more steps toward him and stopped, looking him straight in the eye.

"Tell us, Warden," Loghain bellowed. "How will the Orlesians take our nation from us? Will they deign to send their troops, or simply issue their commands through this would-be prince? What did they offer you? How much Ferelden blood does Orlesian gold buy these days?"

Kallian strode forward stopping only when some of Loghain's men stepped into her path. She raised her hands in a gesture of peace. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she drew a deep breath.

Looking around the room and catching the eye of the few nobles she had spoken to at The Gnawed Noble, confidence flooded back into her once again. "Teyrn Loghain, the blight is the threat here, not Orlais!"

More cheering echoed in the hall. A woman's voice cut through the noise. "There are more than enough refugees in my Bannorn to make _that _abundantly clear." Alfstanna leaned on the balcony railing to get a better look at Loghain.

Arl Wulffe shouted out. "The south is fallen, Loghain. Will you let darkspawn take the whole country for fear of Orlais?"

"The blight is indeed real, Wulffe, but do we need Grey Wardens to fight it? They claim that they and they alone can end the blight but they failed spectacularly against the darkspawn at Ostagar and they ask to bring with them four legions of Chevaliers." Kallian spotted Riordan off to one side of the room, shaking his head slowly.

Loghain paced back and forth, hands gesturing. "And once we open our borders to the Chevaliers, can we really expect them to simply return from whence they came?"

Kallian's voice rang out loud and clear across the chamber, nearly startling the elf herself. "You sold Ferelden citizens into _slavery _to fund your war." _That didn't answer your question but it certainly got some attention_, she thought as the shouting grew louder.

"What is this? There is no slavery in Ferelden. Explain yourself!" Bann Sighard yelled out.

Loghain waived a hand. "There is no saving the alienage."

Kallian gasped and took another step forward, but Alistair's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Let him dig his own grave, Kallian. You're doing great," he whispered.

"Damage from the riots has yet to be repaired. There are bodies still rotting in their homes. It is not a place I would send my worst enemy. There is no chance of holding it if the blight comes here. Despite what you might think, Warden, I have done my duty. Whatever my regrets may be for the elves, I have done what was needed for the good of Ferelden." Sounds of disgust and disagreement could be heard around the hall.

"You allowed Rendon Howe to imprison and torture innocents." Kallian stabbed the air between them with a slender finger, doing her best to stick to her plan.

Bann Sighard lurched forward and gripped the balcony's railing. "The Warden speaks truly! My son was taken under cover of night. The things done to him…some are beyond any healer's skill." The audience was rumbling with conversation again.

"Howe was responsible for himself. He will answer to the Maker for any wrongs committed in this life, as must we all. But _you_ know that. _You_were the one who murdered him." Loghain jabbed a finger back at Kallian and she flushed with guilt.

"Whatever Howe may have done, he should have been brought before the seneschal. There is no justice in butchering a man in his home."

_You walked into that one, old man._ "No? Then why did _you _send a blood mage to poison the Arl of Redcliffe?" Gasps filled the air.

Loghain's cheek twitched ever so slightly before he replied. "I assure you, Warden, if I were going to send someone it would be one of my own soldiers. I would not trust to the discretion of an apostate."

Bann Alfstanna spoke again. "Indeed? My brother tells a very different tale. He says you snatched a blood mage from the Chantry's justice. Coincidence?"

The Grand Cleric waved her arm in an attempt to silence the crowd. "Don't think the Chantry will overlook this, Teyrn Loghain. Interference in a templar's duties is an offence against the Maker."

"Whatever I have done, I will answer for later. At the moment, however, I wish to know what this Warden has done with my daughter."

Kallian laughed. "What have I done? I have protected her from you."

Loghain looked like he might explode as he turned toward Kallian. With a few large strides, he was standing within arm's reach of her "You took my daughter – our Queen – by force, killing her guards in the process. What arts have you employed to keep her? Does she even yet live?"

"Arts? What, am I a blood mage now?" Kallian laughed again, something that seemed to get under Loghain's skin.

"I believe I can speak for myself." Anora's voice startled many of the nobles and the sound of rustling fabric and shifting feet could be heard as people moved to get a better view of what was happening on the floor.

Anora walked to the center of the room to address the crowd. Loghain turned to face her, fists clenched at his sides.

"Lords and ladies of Ferelden, hear me. My father is no longer the man you knew. This man is not the hero of River Dane. This man turned his troops aside and refused to protect your king as he fought bravely against the darkspawn." She paused to brush a tear from her eye. Taking a breath, she pointed to her father.

"_This_man seized Cailan's throne before his body was cold and locked me away so I could not reveal his treachery. I would have already been killed if it weren't for this Grey Warden."

"The Queen speaks the truth," Kallian said loudly.

Loghain's shoulders drooped slightly and he sighed. "So, the Warden's influence has poisoned even your mind, Anora? I wanted to protect you from this." Turning his back on his daughter, he addressed the Landsmeet once again.

"My lords and ladies, our land has been threatened before. It has been invaded and lost and won times beyond counting. We Fereldens have proven that we will never truly be conquered so long as we are united. We must not let ourselves be divided now. Stand with me and we shall defeat even the blight itself."

There was a moment of silence and Kallian was wondering what was supposed to happen next when the first of the nobles spoke.

"South Reach stands with the Grey Wardens."

"Waking Sea stands with the Grey Wardens!" Bann Alfstanna nodded to Kallian and Alistair.

Sighard leaned over the railing to look directly at Loghain. "Drakon's Peak supports the Warden!"

Arl Wulffe shifted, his armour clanking and scraping against itself. "Western Hill throws its lot in with the Grey Wardens, Maker help us all."

Bann Ceorlic spoke with an unsteady voice. "I stand by Loghain. We have no hope of victory otherwise." From where she stood on the floor, Kallian thought she could see Sighard roll his eyes.

"Mmm. Definitely a friend of Loghain's," Alistair whispered. A noble from the floor was calling out his support of the Wardens. "And that's it, Kallian. You did it."

Kallian had never quite felt as she did at that moment. She was giddy, as though she had been drinking. All the worry and heartache, trials and tribulations of the past several months had come to this and they had succeeded. Alistair would be king and they could get on with fighting the blight. It was staggering, really, and she wished she had a moment longer to enjoy the feeling. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Loghain.

"The Landsmeet is against you, Loghain. Step down gracefully." He glared down at her.

"Traitors!" He roared at the assembled lords and ladies. Turning slowly so he could look at each of them, he continued to yell. "Which of you stood against the Orlesian emperor when his troops flattened your fields and raped your wives? You fought with us once, Eamon! You cared about this land once, before you got too old and fat and content to even see what you risk. None of you deserves a say in what happens here! _NONE_ of you has spilled blood for this land the way that I have!"

He had come back around to face Kallian, who was thinking Eamon had been right. Everyone was yelling and pointing and generally acting unruly. Before she could really process what was happening, Loghain was screaming "How _DARE _you judge me!" and then, with more speed than anyone would have given him credit for, his hands were around her neck. Kallian felt herself falling backwards, saw Alistair reaching for his sword and saw shock and horror on Zevran's face. She clawed at Loghain's hands, trying to pry his fingers from her throat. As her field of vision began to darken, she heard a woman's voice above the din around her shout "My lord!" and she thought she saw something strike Loghain in the face. His grip loosened and he fell on top of her.

A woman screamed; someone fell to the floor near Kallian's head, crying and muttering "I couldn't let you disgrace yourself any further". Someone else was yelling for guards to arrest Ser Cauthrien. As her vision came back into focus, Kallian could see a great deal of activity around her and then Loghain was being pulled off her. The warm sensation of Wynne's healing magic flowed through her and the pain in her throat disappeared. Zevran was on his knees beside her, concern marring his features.

"Kallian, are you all right?" He slipped an arm under her shoulders and helped her sit up.

"What…?" Another wave of healing magic as she touched the back of her head and the soreness there faded. "Yes, but…"

Loghain was on the floor to her left, dead, with a throwing knife in his eye. Anora had collapsed a few feet away and Alistair was lifting her off the floor with Erlina's help. Wynne was hurrying in their direction. Kallian struggled to stand, grimacing at the crunching sound her armour made as she did so. _Maker's breath, I just got this fixed. _Zevran collected her gloves and helm and stood by her side.

"Ser Cauthrien killed Loghain," he whispered.

Kallian's gaze finally found Cauthrien. The woman was being held by two guards just a few feet away from Loghain's body. Tears flowed down her face as she stared at her general's body.

"What will happen to her?"

"I think they are waiting for the King to decide." Zevran nodded in Alistair's direction.

"The King." Kallian felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Eamon was at her side with Teagan, quietly asking some of his knights to move Teyrn Loghain's body to an adjoining room and they quickly complied. Turning to face her, he smiled.

"Congratulations, Warden. I am glad no harm came to you."

"Thank you." She was still a bit stunned by the turn of events, and simply bowed slightly to him.

Anora had regained her senses and was standing on her own, Erlina's arm around her waist, one hand clasped firmly in Alistair's. She was nodding slightly as she dried her eyes with a handkerchief. Alistair left the ladies and returned to Kallian.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you. I am fine." She looked at him closely, trying to read his expression. He looked sad, relieved, and anxious.

Eamon's voice rang out and the nobles were silenced. "And so it is decided. Alistair will take his father's throne."

The roar of applause was nearly deafening, but it died down quickly as Alistair raised his hand. "Lords and ladies of Ferelden, I accept. It is my intention to rule with Anora as my Queen." Anora had moved to stand beside him in a show of support, but remained silent.

"I may be Maric's son, but I am also a Grey Warden. I have sworn an oath to stand and fight against the darkspawn, no matter the cost to myself. I cannot break that oath to wear a crown. I must go with my fellow Warden to face the blight. When the blight is over, I will return and take up my duties as your king. Until then, Anora will act as Regent."

Anora bowed her head briefly. "It shall be my honour, your Majesty."

Alistair's brow wrinkled with faint displeasure at the title, but to his credit it passed quickly. Turning to Kallian, he held out an arm. "I hope you will lead our armies against the blight, Warden. Shall we finish this thing together?"

Gripping his arm she nodded, feeling as though her face might split in half, she was smiling with so much pride for her friend. "I could do no less, your Majesty."

"Everyone, get ready to march! It will take all of Ferelden's strength to win this blight, but we will face it and we will defeat it." The room errupted into cheering once again and people began to leave.

He motioned to Erlina. "Perhaps Anora would prefer to stay here for a while, if not the night, to have a chance to be with her father before his funeral?"

Erlina's brow shot up with surprize before she could stop herself. "Yes, your Majesty, thank you." With that she turned and swept Anora from the room.

Alistair began to issue orders as much as he could, given his personality. "Eamon, could you please point our party to a reception room and have someone escort them there, perhaps bring them food and drink?" He waved Riordan over. "Please, brother, go with Eamon and wait for me with the others. Guards, please take Ser Cauthrien to a cell. Kallian, I think we should discuss this...situation."

"Yes, of course. Are _you _okay?"

He smiled slowly, nodding. "I think so. I...I just need a moment."

"Take it, Alistair, by all means." She turned to leave, but he caught her by the wrist and pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you, sister."

Kallian strode out of the Landsmeet chamber and waited until she was closing the door to look back at Alistair. He was on one knee, head bowed, lips moving in prayer. Pride swelled in her heart and with a smile, she turned to join her friends.

* * *

**A/N: **Right, then. Thank you to Bioware for this little thing I'm playing with. I borrowed much of their dialogue, but of course I felt the need to make a few changes to this part of the story line, as I am sure you noticed. I didn't like some aspects of the game. In spite of the fact that the in-game Anora does seem like a snooty bitch, it just seems so freaking cruel to lop her father's head off right in front of her like that and splatter his blood all over her. Call me squeamish, but I made my Anora more likeable and couldn't torture her like that. This idea hit me and I thought I'd run with it.

Those of you who are sticklers for such detail may notice that most of the dialoge between Loghain and Kallian is from the human noble origin while some is from the city elf origin. I played through this origin ages ago now and couldn't find a source for all the city elf options I wanted, so...well, so there.

My gratitude goes out to Zevgirl for our chats about plot and angst; to everyone who has added me/my story to a favourite/alerts list; to Raven Jadewolfe and others for the comments. As always, I love to read comments/suggestions/critique, so please feel free to make them and remember that you do have my permission to point out any errors, typos, et cetera. Cheers!


	25. After the Landsmeet

**After the Landsmeet**

Kallian's companions were in a large reception room near the Landsmeet chamber, helping themselves to drink and the platter of bread, cheese and dried meat that had just been set out for them. Wynne fussed for a bit to make sure Kallian was fully recovered from her tumble and when she was satisfied all was well, the others crowded around Kallian to offer their congratulations. Sten spotted a tray of baked goods being brought into the room and moved to secure himself some cookies once he had dropped a heavy hand on her shoulder with a grunt of approval.

Leliana threw her arms around Kallian. "You looked lovely, even when Loghain was choking you, and barely a hair out of place!" She giggled as Kallian snorted in response, and then grew serious. "I am sorry it came to this, for both Anora and Cauthrien."

Kallian shook her head. "I did not see _that_coming…" Oghren pressed a goblet of something into her hand.

"Here ya go, kid. Good on ya." With a belch, he took a drink from his own flask and moved toward the food. _A man of few words._

"Where's Zev?" Kallian had seen him when she entered the room, but she had lost track of him.

"Here I am," came the reply from behind her, and her heart fluttered. He held a small plate of food out to her, and Leliana excused herself, slipping off to speak with Wynne.

Taking the plate, she put it and her goblet on a nearby table and turned back to him. "Zev…"

He smiled. "I am yours." The way he said it, his voice low and thick with desire, made her breath hitch and her pulse race. The rest of her body quickly followed with its reaction and more than anything she wanted to be alone with him. She scowled slightly at herself.

"Maker's breath, Zevran, don't do that." He raised an eyebrow. "Get all charming when I'm annoyed with you. What _happened_? Why didn't _you_ or _Alistair_do something?" She would never tell either of them, but she was more impressed with how quickly Cauthrien had reacted than she was angry at how slowly her own companions had reacted.

"I apologize. I am embarrassed to admit I was not expecting Loghain to try to…"

The door swung open to reveal Alistair, who strode into the room and broke into a sheepish grin as heads turned to look at him. "Erm, hello."

He spotted Kallian and hurried over to her. "I'm going to be king. After all of this is over, they're going to put me on the throne. Make me wear a crown and fancy clothing and…"

"Yes, but now you will be able to ensure that you always have the finest cheeses on hand, so it really isn't _all _bad, is it?"

He rolled his eyes in response. "You know, there was a time when I'd be really unhappy about this and probably never speak to you again, but I think with Anora's help and the support of people like Eamon and Teagan…and you?...it will be…_less _terrifying."

Kallian blinked at him, unsure of what to make of his question, such as it was. There was no time for clarification, however; Alistair was addressing all of them now.

"I need to wrap up a bit of business here and then we are going to head back to Arl Eamon's estate for a celebration. The staff has been alerted and is preparing a feast for us. Kallian, would you mind?" He gestured to the door.

She cast a quick glance at Zevran, who bowed slightly at the waist. "I shall be here when you return and you may finish reprimanding me then."

She took a deep drink from her goblet, quickly made note not to drink any more as it was Oghren's own brew, and followed Alistair out into the hallway, where Riordan joined them. The three Wardens exchanged greetings.

Alistair looked at Kallian. "Anora will stay with…her father this evening. There will be a pyre for him in the morning and then she'll return to the estate while the staff prepares the palace." He ran his hand over his face and hair. "I don't know what to do about Cauthrien."

Kallian had already given this some consideration. "What's to do? She saved my life. Besides, Ser Cauthrien's experience and her sword are needed in battle. I had a thought, though. I want to invite her to join the Wardens."

"Oh. Ah, well, that _is_ a good idea. But how will we do the joining? We need the blood of an arch demon. And what if she dies?"

Kallian smiled. "I think she'll survive. I have a good feeling about her. Riordan, didn't you say Loghain might have taken the Wardens' supply from the last blight?"

"I did." He nodded.

"Well, if he did, Ser Cauthrien might know where it is. She was his lieutenant." She shrugged. "It's worth a shot. We can get darkspawn blood within hours, I'm sure, and we have mages and lyrium."

"Sister, there are small groups of darkspawn nearby. I can be back with what you need within a day. Go, speak to Ser Cauthrien and enjoy your celebrations."

Alistair called upon a few of Eamon's knights to go with Riordan. Riordan took the men to prepare for the journey while Kallian and Alistair set off for the holding cells one floor down. They found the lieutenant sitting on the bench that ran along the wall of her cell, her tear-stained face pale and her eyes red. She was still wearing her armour, gloves and helm at her side, but her weapons were on a table near the entrance to the room where a lone guard stood watch.

Alistair cleared his throat. "Ser Cauthrien?"

She looked toward them and then away, sobbing softly. Kallian touched the guard's arm and pointed to the cell door. He started slightly and turned to Alistair. "My lord?"

"Go on. This is the Grey Warden Commander of Ferelden." He waved a hand at the heraldry on Kallian's armour to punctuate his point and seemed to puff up a bit when the guard jumped to unlock the cell door.

"Good job, Alistair, and...ah...thanks." Kallian whispered, feeling awkward.

"It's weird, right? Having a _title_?" He asked, trying to ignore the guard who had smirked just then.

"Um...yes, a little. Ah, okay..." She walked into the cell and sat near Cauthrien. "I don't know quite what to say, Ser Cauthrien. I am sorry for your loss."

Cauthrien laughed bitterly. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Whatever he was to me and Alistair, Cauthrien, Loghain was something entirely different to _you_ and it is obvious you are grieving."

The warrior looked slightly surprised at Kallian's compassion, embarrassed even, and turned to Alistair. "What is to happen to me, your majesty? The regent must want my head."

"Oh, I haven't been crowned yet, so there's no need for that. Calling me your majesty, that is." He stepped into the cell. "Anora does not want your head, but Loghain may have supporters who would want revenge against you. I think we can protect you from that, if need be. As for me, you saved the Commander's life. I should _reward_ you for that."

_Who are you and what have you done with Alistair?_ Kallian thought, as she listened to him. With a smile, she nodded to him and turned to Cauthrien.

"I thank you for saving my life." She took a breath and carried on. "We do want to discuss something with you. Ferelden needs all the soldiers she has to fight this blight and I have no doubt you would continue to serve her well in that capacity. However, the more Wardens we have, the better. I want to offer you a place with the Wardens."

Cauthrien looked startled. She was quiet for a moment. "You would do this after everything that has happened, after Ostagar and Fort Drakon and everything else?"

Kallian nodded. "Surely you know the Antivan Crow Loghain hired to kill us now travels with us. I seem to make a habit of recruiting companions other people...wouldn't."

"I am not sure you should trust my judgement, Warden. I _believed_Loghain, I _trusted_ him, but I couldn't see his madness until it was too late and when I did I…I couldn't…" Her voice drifted off. "I won't let that happen again."

Kallian frowned at the hard edge in Cauthrien's voice. Had she _loved_Loghain? "I should warn you that a Warden's life is not easy."

Cauthrien nodded. "I have heard...rumours, Commander."

She lapsed into a contemplative silence for a few moments, giving Kallian a chance to shoot a look at Alistair. _She's heard rumours? Are the Wardens' secrets not so secret?_ He shrugged.

Looking at Kallian and then to Alistair, Cauthrien nodded slowly and cleared her throat. "I accept. I confess I may have had more in common with King Cailan than Teyrn Loghain when it came to our attitudes regarding the Grey Wardens."

Kallian sighed with relief and stood, offering a hand to Cauthrien. The two women gripped arms as the latter stood. "There is something else. In order to prepare the Joining ceremony for you, we need something we believe Loghain may have taken from the Wardens' supplies here in Denerim. Do you know of what I speak?"

When Cauthrien nodded, Kallian had to surpress the urge to hug her.

xXx

Upon their return to the estate, Eamon announced dinner would be served within the hour and everyone had retired to their rooms to freshen up and change into more suitable clothing. Kallian laid out her green dress and stripped down to her small clothes. She was rubbing a cloth soaked in rose water over her arms and chest and relating the details of Cauthrien's recruitment and their subsequent search for, and discovery of, the stolen Grey Warden property, when she spotted Zevran's reflection in the vanity mirror. He was sneaking up behind her.

"I can see you, you know."

"I know. You wear your success well, amata, and it is making you even sexier than usual, which is pretty sexy. I _must_have you. _Now_." Zevran wrapped his arms around her and kissed the nape of her neck while leaning her forward, his arousal obvious and pressing against her.

"Zev, what are you…we don't have time…" Kallian's protests were hardly serious. She pushed herself against his groin and reached back to run her fingers through his hair.

He pushed her smalls down and brought his fingers back up between her legs to tease her. "Brace yourself," he commanded, making her pulse race even faster.

She barely had time to put her hands down on the vanity before he thrust into her. Kallian gasped out his name, sending shivers of pleasure through his body. Zevran growled into her neck and turned her face to his so he could kiss her. His tongue possessed her mouth, his hands gripped her hips, and they were oblivious to everything but each other. Their passion was raw, animalistic and rough, and it was over all too quickly. Surprised, the lovers laughed as they collapsed onto the vanity.

xXx

The great hall glittered with candlelight and buzzed with conversation. A modest fire burned in the grand fireplace at one end of the room while musicians played nearby. Eamon's knights and their ladies were dancing and Bann Teagan had joined them, with Leliana at his side Kallian noted. Alistair was sharing a bottle of something with Oghren, which seemed a spectacularly bad idea this early in the evening. Wynne and Eamon were chatting near the high board, Sten and Morrigan were off in a corner together. Kallian hoped they weren't discussing what the Qunari did to their mages or how they managed sexual relations. Neither topic had seemed conducive to camaraderie the first time they had come up. Kallian stood still for a moment, taking in the scene, before suggesting they get drinks and mingle.

As they walked toward the table where Alistair and Oghren were, Zevran pulled her close. "You are positively glowing, bella," he whispered into her ear as he slid his hand down her back to rest it on the curve of her hip. "It must be the lovemaking." She was aroused; he could tell by the way she shifted against him, the way her breathing changed, the way she sighed softly. Kallian slipped her arms around his waist and gave him a squeeze, kissing his cheek. _If I die now, I shall die a truly happy man_.

Alistair draped an arm around each of the elves. "Don't try that stuff Oghren's drinking. I think it might be poisonous." He watched Oghren wander off on unsteady legs.

Kallian laughed. "You aren't much of a drinker, Alistair. Be careful or you'll wind up face down in your dinner soon enough."

"Good point." He straightened up and smoothed out his tunic. "I thought about what you said to Cauthrien and ah...I was wondering if I should go to the Palace tomorrow for Loghain's funeral pyre. You know, for Anora." He dragged out her name, holding the 'o', and tried not to giggle.

"That's a nice thought, Alistair. Just make sure she knows why you're there, so it's clear you aren't trying to make sure her father is really dead, you know?" She paused. "And make sure you're sober."

"Yes, mother. Ooh, _cheese_." With that, he followed the wheel of cheese that was being brought into the room.

Zevran poured them each a goblet of wine and they circled the room, exchanging greetings with the other guests. Kallian soon found it rather tiring to be the focus of attention, however. She had not gotten this far without the rest of her companions, but everyone's praise was directed at her and her alone. Eamon's voice interrupted her now well-rehearsed statement "I could not have done any of this with without the support of my companions" to announce that dinner was to be served and the guests slowly took their seats.

Platters of roasted pigs, duck, pheasant and quail formed the main course; a bounty of fruits, vegetables and bread were laid out; a variety of custard tarts were served for dessert. A small tray of cheese tarts had been prepared especially for Alistair, his love of cheese a now well-known fact in the kitchens. Wine and ale flowed, stories were told and gossip spread, and when it seemed that the festivities were finally winding down, Eamon stood. The clamour around the hall died down quickly.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone. Long may the Maker's blessings grace our good King Alistair!"

The hall echoed with the rustling of fabric as everyone stood to raise a glass to Alistair, who turned several shades of red, but smiled and waved in thanks. Eamon continued speaking.

"We must now make ready to return to Redcliffe to face the darkspawn hoard and defeat this blight. We have much to do in preparation, both here and at the palace, but it is our intention to depart in no more than three days' time. I trust you will be ready to march with us."

The response was deafening. Shouts of encouragement and war cries rang out and echoed around the hall. They would be ready.

* * *

**A/N:** I had thought this would be longer, but decided to end it here. For whatever reason, this one was a bit harder to get out and I am not entirely certain I'm done with it. That said, if you have anything to say about it, anything at all, please do! If you notice inconsistencies in spelling, remember I'm Canadian, eh (har har), so there's that, but between me and the dictionaries in Word and here _and _Google Chrome, some things might get missed or changed inadvertently.

My thanks goes out to everyone who is reading, especially those who add me or my story to favorite/alert lists - Welcome aboard! Last but certainly not least, thank you Zevgirl! On that note, I have some reading to do for the good woman. Cheers!


	26. A Time to Every Purpose

**A Time to Every Purpose**

"Amata, this way." Zevran pulled Kallian along the hallway past their room to the flight of stairs at the end of the hall.

The household was finally turning in for the night, and they had been amongst the last to leave the great hall. Kallian was drunk, a little at least. The hallway tipped ever so slightly side to side as she walked. She stumbled as her foot hit the top of the first stair, but Zevran caught her and pulled her up into his arms. Gathering the skirt of her dress in one hand, she pulled it up to her knees while she gripped Zevran's hand with her other.

"Where are we going?"

Her question was answered as he pushed open the door at the top of the stairs and they stepped out into the cool night air. She gasped at the view and stepped to the outermost wall to get the best vantage point. The sky was clear, the moon full, and a blanket of stars covered the heavens. Pinpoints of light were scattered about the city and river below them. Beyond the water lapping at the shores of the Drakon River, the only sounds she could hear were the chirping of crickets, the occasional frog and the beating of her own heart. Zevran stood behind her, arms around her and his head next to hers. She put her hands on his and leaned against him, her eyes drifting back up to the stars.

"Oh, Zev, it's beautiful."

"I thought you might like it." He reached up to lightly stroke her cheek and then her ear.

As his thumb slid along the edge of Kallian's ear, she sucked in her breath, pulled her shoulders up and back, and shifted her buttocks against his groin. Her breathing quickened and she squeezed his hands. He took one and turned her around.

Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her forehead. "I am a very lucky man…" her right cheek "to have you in my life." her left cheek. He pulled back to look her in the eye. "I love you, Kallian."

The significance of the moment struck her: this was the first time Zevran had actually come out and said it just so. She felt light headed and weak kneed and didn't know how she managed to remain standing when he finally kissed her lips. Her stomach lurched in a most peculiar and not entirely unpleasant manner and the giddiness of the evening's drinking was suddenly magnified. She was giggling like a little girl.

Cool air hit Kallian's legs as Zevran pulled her skirt up and she supposed they should care if there were guards nearby, but the thought aroused her and spurred her on. Her hands reached for the laces of Zevran's leather leggings and when they were loose enough, she reached in and freed his manhood. His hands slipped around her thighs and he pulled her up; she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pulled her smalls out of the way as she put her arms along the top of the stone wall behind her. They moaned in unison as he slid into her. Clinging to the stone wall and each other, they made love until they had nothing left to give each other. Afterwards, drunk on love and alcohol, with legs as unsteady as a newborn colt's, they staggered back to their room and fell into a deep sleep.

xXx

The estate was a bustle of activity the following morning as the process of preparing to return to Redcliffe began. Kallian was up early and set their laundry baskets out in the hall before crawling back into bed to curl up next to Zevran.

"Don't think I don't know you've been awake for the past half hour, Zevran. You should be ashamed of yourself, pretending to be asleep to avoid chores." She moved to tickle his ribs, but he caught her hand and had her pinned under him in a heartbeat.

"Ah, but if I had gotten up, would we find ourselves here again or would you have insisted that we go downstairs eat?" He kissed her tenderly, swallowing any objections she may have had.

xXx

Master Ignacio was in his room at the Gnawed Noble Tavern and welcomed Kallian in, closing the door behind her.

"You have not brought your friend with you."

"No, I didn't think that would be necessary."

"And does he know you are here?" Ignacio raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Kallian smiled. "He does not, but I would not read too much into that if I were you, Master Ignacio. We are preparing to march to Redcliffe the day after tomorrow and I wanted to let you know that it might be a while before I come back this way."

"You could have left without stopping by. I think perhaps you are wondering if the Crows are still interested in hearing stories about you and your friend?"

She nodded with a smile. "How likely is it, do you think, that anyone else will come after me or…my friend?"

"No one is interested in coming after you, Warden, and perhaps it is in everyone's best interest to see that it stays that way while the darkspawn are a threat, yes? As for your friend, it is hard to say, but as long as he keeps your company…" Ignacio waved his hand with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders.

Kallian cast an appraising eye over Ignacio. He was telling the truth, or at least believed what he was saying was true, of that she was certain. They would keep an eye open for signs of the Crows no matter what; Zev would not allow himself to get complacent. While she hoped that two failed attempts and significant losses both times had put them off, she couldn't discount the notion that the Crows may wish to save face by proving they could, at least, punish Zevran for leaving them.

"I should be on my way, Master Ignacio. Maker watch over you."

He bowed his head and escorted her to the door. "You as well."

xXx

They had sorted out what they would be taking with them to Redcliffe for the battle against the archdemon and its hoard of darkspawn. Everything that remained had been packed and would be taken to Soldiers' Peak to be stored. Kallian slid the last of the trunks being sent to the Peak into the wagon and turned to the driver, motioning him to follow her into the estate. "I want to send a message to the Peak and need but a moment to write it. Please, help yourself to tea in the kitchen and I'll come find you when I'm finished."

She ran to her room and sat down at the vanity with a quill, ink, and parchment.

_Dear Avenrus,_

_I suspect you know that I took a vial of your alchemical concoction from the Peak when we liberated it from the demons you unleashed there. It worked, Avernus. I have developed the new abilities you wrote of in your notes!_

_If we are successful in our efforts against the Blight, I wish to meet with you to discuss your research. I should like to know if you have made any further progress._

_Warden Commander Kallian Tabris_

She folded the parchment and took a piece of wax to the fireplace. Melting one end the wax stick near the edge of the fire, she smeared it over the parchment to seal it shut. Returning to the kitchens, she gave the message to the driver, instructing him to deliver it to the Warden mage Avernus in person. As she left, she asked the cook to prepare a package of food for the man to take with him when he left.

"Thank you for your kindness, Commander," he said as he made to get up.

"It's Kallian, and please finish your tea and have something to eat. There's no rush."

Kallian smiled as she walked away, hearing the cook say "She's as kind as the day is long, that one." as she set about packing a few meals for the driver.

xXx

Zevran sat beside Kallian, his fingers entwined with hers, and listened as she told her father and cousins about the Landsmeet. Shianni had made a rather tasty stew seasoned with some of the spices he had suggested she purchase, he and Kallian had brought wine and a small selection of custard tarts with them, and the evening had been quite pleasant.

"And so here we are preparing to face the hoard." Kallian realized she was balling her hands into fists on the table in front of her and spread them out on her thighs instead.

"Listen, we're marching to Redcliffe in two days and I…Well, just in case I don't…" She cleared her throat and turned to her father.

"Papae, you have been a rock for me all my life, even more so after Mamae's death. You have done your best to raise me to be a good person and for as long as I live I shall try to make you proud. I love you, Papae, and I am eternally grateful for all you have done for me." She squeezed his hand and turned to Shianni.

"Cousin, you are like a sister to me. You have a spirit that cannot be crushed and I know you are going to make a difference here, Shianni. Just be careful, okay?" Shianni wiped a tear from her cheek and nodded.

Kallian's eyes moved to Soris. "Soris, you are so much braver than you think. Do you remember when we were children, when you used to dream of seeking adventure, of travelling? I have been from one end of Ferelden to the other and I can tell you it is something worth seeing. Do it. Find a way to get out there and see the world, Soris."

She took a deep breath, allowing her tears to fall unchecked. "I love you all and I am so grateful we've had this time together. Ah…we should probably get back to the estate."

"Si, amata." Zevran stood and helped Kallian up.

After more tears, hugs, kisses and handshakes with her family, Zevran and Kallian began to walk back towards Arl Eamon's estate. They stopped on the bridge and looked out to the Amaranthine Ocean. Kallian wept, trying to wring the sadness of leaving her family once again out of her system, and Zevran held her steady.

xXx

Riordan returned at midday and with Morrigan's help, Wynne had prepared the joining ritual potion by late evening. Alistair, Kallian and Riordan joined Ser Cauthrien in her room while the rest of the household prepared to turn in for the night. As the senior Warden amongst them, Riordan spoke first, reciting a brief history of the Grey Warden order and preparing Cauthrien for the ritual itself.

She was taken back to her own joining as Riordan said "We speak only a few words prior to the joining, but these words have been spoken since the first. Warden Commander?"

Kallian held up the silver chalice they had recovered from Ostagar. "Join us, Sister. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be foresworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day we shall join you."

Cauthrien swallowed hard and took the chalice. Staring at its contents briefly, her nose wrinkling with disgust, she closed her eyes and took a drink. Kallian reached out for the chalice and caught it just as Cauthrien's eyes opened and rolled back in her head. She began to fall backwards and Alistair reached out to catch her. As he carried Cauthrien to her bed, he smiled at Kallian.

"It seems you were right. She will live. Congratulations on your first successful recruitment, Commander."

"I think I'll stay here until she wakes," Kallian whispered. She had brought food with her, as well as a bowl of cold water and a wash cloth.

Kallian sat with Cauthrien into the early hours of the morning, refreshing the cold compress on her forehead and napping occasionally. Cauthrien's fever finally broke and the warrior stirred.

"Welcome to the Grey Wardens, Sister."

"Commander…"

"Kallian."

"Kallian, I…I regret…"

Kallian put her hand on Cauthrien's arm. "Why don't we just agree to start here, now, and not waste any time dwelling on what has been and what might have come to pass. I do appreciate the sentiment, however."

"Thank you. I…thank you." Cauthrien frowned, raising a hand to her stomach. "Maker, I'm hungry."

Kallian laughed and pointed to the table nearby. "And you had nightmares, am I right?"

Cauthrien nodded as she dug into some bread and cheese. "Visions of darkspawn and a…a…"

"The archdemon. That will happen quite a bit for a while, but you will eventually be able to control it. It's worse for those of us who join during a Blight. There are some other things I need to tell you about what it means to be a Warden…"

xXx

They would be leaving the following morning and had little more to do than be at the gates at first light. Until then, their time was their own. Morrigan was off in some corner of the estate, studying her mother's grimoire, which remained an obsession of hers; Wynne had curled up in the library to read a romance novel; Sten appeared to be meditating in his room. Kallian and Zevran sat in the kitchen with Alistair, finishing off breakfast.

"Perhaps you would like to practice outside? The weather is good again today, I see." Zevran popped a slice of apple into his mouth and cut a piece for Kallian.

She nodded while she ate. "How is Anora, Alistair?"

"As good as could be expected, I suppose, but it's hard to tell."

"I will be all right in time." Anora's voice at the door startled them. "I am sorry, I did not mean to disturb you, but I…Well, it is good to see you are well, Kallian."

"Thank you, Anora. Would you care to join us? There's tea, food."

Anora paused, clearly trying to come to a decision about something. "I understand you recruited Ser Cauthrien. How is she?"

"She is well. Sleeping, I believe." Kallian's brow wrinkled slightly. "Do you wish to see her?"

Anora swallowed, nodding slowly. "We have known each other for years and I have always considered her to be a friend. She was loyal to my father, worshiped him, perhaps even loved him…"

Alistair stood to lead Anora to a chair and she sat, touching her eyes with a kerchief before continuing.

"Understand this is not easy for me, but I cannot help but be concerned for her. I can forgive her what she's done. Others were about to defend you, she was simply the quickest. But I do not think I can see her just yet." She reached into the folds of her dress and withdrew a folded piece of parchment. "Could you give this letter to Cauthrien?"

Kallian took it. "Yes, of course I will."

Anora stood. "Thank you. I understand you are all leaving at first light. I would like it if we could have one final meal together this evening before you go."

She smiled as the others nodded. "Alistair, would you walk with me?"

Blushing just a bit, Alistair held out his arm. "My lady."

xXx

Kallian's arm felt as though it might simply fall off at any moment, yet Lucius showed no signs of tiring. She and Zevran had collected the hound from the kennels after their training session and taken him to the shore of the Drakon River for some exercise and he was certainly getting it. After two hours of fetch and swimming in the river, they finally coaxed him into returning to the estate with a meaty bone. Groomed and wearing a new kaddis design and collar, he padded around the estate at his mistress' side, looking very pleased with himself.

xXx

The evening sky was black, the air heavy with humidity. The day had been unusually warm and as the afternoon wore on, dark clouds had rolled in from the ocean holding the promise of a storm. Kallian and Zevran stood on the battlements, looking out to the river.

She took a deep breath. "I love the smell of the air just before a storm." Turning to him, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face against his muscular chest.

"I am afraid, Zev. I shouldn't say it, I suppose, but it is true. Alistair and I missed the last battle, or had a much smaller one of our own to contend with, I suppose. This…this stands to be so much more than anything I have ever faced before and I am scared."

He pulled his head and shoulders back to look down at her. "It is not weakness to admit fear in the face of formidable odds, especially if one is planning to face them no matter what. Bravery is being the only one, or one of the few, perhaps, who knows that you are afraid, yes? It is doing what must be done when it must be done, and you have ever been brave, my love."

Their lips met in a crush of passion and they made love even as the rains came, and thunder and lightning crashed around them.

xXx

As dawn's first light graced the horizon, Arl Eamon's estate was already well in motion for the day, but the mood in the air was quite somber in comparison to previous days. Horses and a few wagons, including that of Bodahn and his son, were ready to depart, and all that remained were the teary goodbyes. Kallian could feel the tension on both sides, as those remaining behind watched friends and loved ones departing for war, knowing they may never see them again, certainly not as they were in that moment in time, if at all. Those departing were juggling duty with a feeling of guilt at leaving the estate with such a thin guard. A great sadness hung in the air as she watched Isolde and Connor say their final goodbyes to Eamon and Teagan. Some of the knights' wives were also about, doing their best to look brave and confident. Anora hovered nearby with Erlina, waiting for Alistair to finish strapping his mount's saddle into place.

Anora reached out with both hands to hold one of Kallian's and Alistair's, and she looked to both of them. "May the Maker watch over you all, and may we triumph over this evil. I wish you a safe journey. Return to us victorious."

"Thank you, Anora. Maker bless you and keep you safe." Kallian bowed to the regent.

Alistair took both Anora's hands in his and looked into her eyes. "You will continue to train with Ser Tristan and his men, yes?" She nodded, looking to the small group of knights who would be remaining behind at the estate.

"And you remember how to access the safe room below the dungeon if you need to, yes?" She nodded again.

Alistair's face broke into a grin as he sighed with relief. "Okay then, I think we can go now."

He was about to turn and mount his horse when Anora stopped him, her hand on his cheek. "Alistair, would you think it forward of me…"

Not waiting for her to finish her thought, Alistair bent his head to kiss Anora on the lips while pressing something into her hands. "This was my mother's amulet. Keep it to remember me by until I return." He asked as he pulled away from her.

Eyes glistening with tears, Anora nodded and stepped back to stand by Erlina. Kallian and the others mounted their horses and with a final wave to those remaining behind, they began filing out of the courtyard to begin their journey west.

* * *

A/N: Another bridging chapter, wherein I continue to play with Bioware's creation (thank you very much!). I have deviated from the game's version of events between the Landsmeet and the return to Redcliffe, and taken some liberties with things such as preparing for the joining, but I figure that's my prerogative and I will slip back into the story line shortly.

The title stems from the song "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by The Byrds. For some reason, that song came to me as I started this chapter and when it wouldn't go away I thought about it, and it seemed to fit.

My thanks to new followers and to those who have been kind enough to comment. I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to review, comment, et cetera. A shout out to Zevgirl - read her stuff!


	27. Return to Redcliffe

**Return to Redcliffe**

"Has anyone told you what marvelous eyes you possess, my dear?" Zevran's voice broke a silence that had been punctuated only by horses' hooves and wagon wheels for most of the afternoon on their first day out.

Kallian looked up from the braid she was finishing on her mount's mane. Zevran was speaking to Morrigan, who had drifted closer to them.

"_Again _with the flattery?" Morrigan snorted. "Do you not tire from these pointless exercises?"

Zevran laughed. "In Antiva, women are accustomed to being showered with the praise they deserve. Men should worship you at your feet as you pass."

She yawned. "They don't find that incredibly annoying?"

Kallian noticed that Alistair and Leliana were trying to listen in on the conversation. Even Oghren, who was practically swaying in his saddle seconds earlier, suddenly seemed more alert and sober. A smile twitched at Kallian's lips. Something was afoot.

Zevran continued, gesturing with his arms. "They are goddesses receiving their subjects, just as you should be. Whatever would be annoying about that?"

"I have no wish to be placed upon a pedestal," came Morrigan's curt reply.

Zevran poured on the charm. "But you deserve no less. You should be admired by painters, copied by sculptors, exalted by poets! Surely you know that _yours _is a beauty so exotic it-it would turn the eye of the Maker Himself!"

Morrigan blushed slightly. "Well, I suppose I…"

Alistair laughed out loud. "By the Maker, you were right! You win."

Leliana shook her head with a light tinkle of laughter. "You are a master indeed, Zevran. You win the bet fair and square."

Oghren crossed his arms over his chest. "Humph. Fine, I owe you a flagon, you swishy nug rutter."

Zevran bowed to his friends. "Much obliged, ser, madame. Five silvers from you, Alistair."

Morrigan's blush turned a deep red. "I hate you all," she declared as she spurred her horse into a trot to put some distance between herself and the rest of the group. After a moment, the other three burst into laughter.

Kallian sighed. "You do realize that antagonizing her could be riskier than poking a sleeping dragon with a sharp stick." Her attempt to look serious barely lasted a few seconds before they all started laughing again.

xXx

Kallian and Zevran stirred early, before dawn's first light. In spite of their passions the night before, which had left them quite exhausted, she had been restless throughout the night. Disturbing dreams had plagued her and kept them both from getting a good night's sleep.

"I am sorry, Zev," she whispered.

"Shh. Truly, you do not need to apologize." He pulled her close, fitting himself against her back, and inhaled her scent.

She smiled and squeezed his arm. Sharing a bed with her and her dreams had to be difficult, but she realized that Zevran had _always_ been there for her. From the very first moment he had joined them in battle, he fought to protect her, to keep an eye on her back, and he was doing it even now, in a way. That he would remain in her company and be there to calm her if needed, regardless of how it affected him, made her feel an overwhelming sense of love for him. She turned to face him, a lustful look in her eyes, but her expression changed quickly and her eyes widened with fear.

Zevran sat up, pulling her up with him. He knew her too well now to ignore what that look meant. Darkspawn were nearby. He was grabbing for their clothes, tossing Kallian's to her.

"I think we have time…maybe half an hour." She mumbled as she dressed.

Zevran stopped moving and looked at her, eyes wide. "_What_ did you just say?"

It took Kallian a moment to realize that she had spoken at all, and then understanding hit her. She gasped as she became aware that she was getting a sense of how _many _darkspawn there were and as she sat there, she thought she even had a vague notion of where they were in relation to the campsite. There was a group to the north and another behind them to the east. She was glad they had sent Eamon and Teagan and their retinue farther ahead to camp, leaving the Grey Wardens and their party behind. With so many Wardens in one camp, especially Riordan, who had been a Warden for many years now, the darkspawn were far more likely to be drawn to them.

She returned Zevran's gaze. "Ah, I think my Warden senses just matured?"

They could hear Riordan speaking in low, but urgent tones to Cauthrien. Other voices joined in as Zevran and Kallian left their tent, cloaks billowing in the breeze. Bodahn and Sandal were already packing up and preparing to head toward Redcliffe; Alistair was telling them to warn the Arl and get them moving.

Kallian kissed Zevran and hurried over to join the other Wardens. Riordan was planning to leave immediately, to scout ahead and to the north, and was attaching his tent and sleeping roll to his pack. She sensed he seemed genuinely concerned about something other than the imminent attack she could feel coming from the east.

As if reading her mind he spoke to her directly. "I believe you and your friends can deal with the threat from the east, sister. The group to the north is of no concern for now. I am finding my dreams to be rather confounding and I feel some reconnaissance is in order. I shall meet you in Redcliffe. Maker watch over you all." He slipped into the night.

Everyone was awake now and Kallian waved them over. "Get your things together as quickly as possible. There is a group of about…" she paused for a moment, closing her eyes. "I'd say twenty darkspawn, with two mages and one ogre, coming from that direction." She pointed east while turning to Alistair.

He was nodding. "I felt it too!"

At the look he received from the others, seeming rather excited about what would normally be bad news, he explained. "It usually takes quite a while for Grey Wardens to develop the ability to determine how _many _darkspawn are approaching, and from which direction, but clearly we are beginning to develop that talent. It's quite useful, trust me."

No one disagreed.

"We probably have about fifteen, twenty minutes," Kallian added, noting the sun was now rising above the horizon. "Lucius, get the horses a safe distance up the road and try not to lose any."

The mabari barked in understanding and began to round up the animals as she untied them.

Everyone dispersed to pack up their belongings, and almost exactly as predicted, a group of darkspawn appeared at the edge of the clearing, just as they were grouping their packs together near the fire.

They fell into their regular routine almost instantly, a familiar dance of blades and spells and arrows. Alistair used his templar talents to disable the mages and then charged into the fray with Cauthrien close behind, to draw the enemy's attention away from Zevran and Kallian, who skirted the group and attacked from behind. Morrigan and Leliana picked off the archers, while Sten and Oghren worked on weakening the ogre. Wynne maintained a distance and healed injuries as they arose. When it was finally over, they set the corpses ablaze and moved on.

Kallian pulled Alistair and Cauthrien aside as they got back onto the West Road.

"I have a bad feeling about this. I can feel a group of darkspawn ahead, but there are more, many more, to the northeast of us as well, and a fair distance away. Something just…doesn't _feel right_, but I don't know if I can trust these instincts yet."

Alistair put a hand on her shoulder, clearly sharing her concerns. "I know, I know. Let's just push ahead to Redcliffe and see what Riordan has discovered. We are a couple of days away yet, I think."

Within half an hour, they found Lucius, who had managed to corral all of their horses into an abandoned farm's pig pen. They mounted and continued onward.

xXx

Lucius and Sten had taken watch; Oghren was drinking and teaching Leliana some bawdy songs from the taverns of Orzammar, while Wynne and Alistair shared wine nearby. Morrigan was camped at a distance, working on a potion of some sort, from what Kallian could tell when she'd taken a quick look before ducking into their tent. She and Zevran were enjoying the afterglow of some rather vigorous lovemaking, and had opened their tent flap to watch the firelight flickering in the distance. Wrapped in furs and blankets, as they were, and pressed to each other, they were quite cozy in spite of the cool evening breeze that wafted in.

"Sei così bella, mia cara." He kissed her.

"E tu sei così bello, il mio amante." She smiled, lust making her already bruised groin ache for him again.

"Do you still feel it, Kallian?"

She shivered, able to ignore the feeling until he drew her attention back to it. "Yes. Not so close now, and perhaps underground? I am…a bit concerned…" she smiled up at him.

"Let's not speak of it for now. It is quiet, I do not think we are in any real danger this evening, and we should sleep." She lowered her voice. "But I think it would be wise to put some clothes on, just in case. Wasting time getting dressed could mean the difference between life and death, and I am not inclined to fight whilst naked."

"Oh, that is a shame, I…_ouch_, what was that for?"

He grabbed Kallian's wrists and wrestled with her for several minutes, tickling her until she begged for mercy. Several disgruntled voices from around the campsite called out for them to stop it and get to sleep. Giggling, Kallian extracted herself from the tangle of furs and blankets and fetched their night clothes.

xXx

"Kallian, my friend, what are you doing?" Leliana asked.

The Warden had been looking over her shoulder every now and then for several hours and the bard was getting increasingly nervous.

"I…you know what? I don't know. It's nothing." She straightened herself in the saddle and gripped the horn of her saddle, hoping that would help keep her from turning around again.

"I can feel it too," Alistair said in a low tone as he pulled his horse alongside hers. "There is still something ahead, but there's more behind us, wouldn't you say?"

She nodded. _I have a bad feeling about this._

xXx

The Wardens' senses were correct. They arrived at Redcliffe shortly after noon on their fourth day out and knew something was terribly wrong the moment they came down the mountain path leading to the waterfall. Dead cattle and an overturned wagon were the first clues. Kallian slipped off her horse and ran to the house nearby. The front door was open and the place looked as though it had been abandoned during the family's morning meal.

As they neared the bridge, a man she recognized from the night they defended the village against the walking dead ran toward them. The sense that this was all too familiar disturbed her.

"It's you," he called out. "The Grey Wardens! Andraste's mercy that you got here when you did. I thought for sure those monsters were going to get me."

Kallian's heart sank and she was thinking _Shit, shit, shit!_ "What has happened? Where is everyone?"

He proceeded to tell the group that the villagers had fled to the castle that morning, when Arl Eamon and his brother arrived. He had foolishly attempted to return to his house before going to the castle, but had taken too long. Darkspawn were now in the village and at the gates. Kallian told him to get to safety, suggesting he barricade himself into the cold cellar of the house they had just passed. He needed no convincing whatsoever and was off immediately.

"There are some just over by the windmill, others down in the village, more over by the castle. I am not getting _any_ sense of a _hoard_ of them. We've got to get to the castle and see what's going on."

Everyone dismounted and armed themselves, pulling their packs to the ground. Ready to move, they startled the horses, sending them back up the trail behind them. Weapons drawn, they met a small group of darkspawn and blight wolves on the wooden steps toward the gates barricading the trail to the castle's bridge. The battle continued down toward the tavern, where Kallian was momentarily distracted by a new sign that had been propped up against the tavern. _The Grey Wardens' Rest Inn & Tavern. I hope Bella is okay_. A blade's tip cut her cheekbone and she lashed out with a riposte, her dagger stabbing forward first, followed by her long sword. A hurlock fell to the ground, spitting bubbles of blood into the grass, which withered and blackened immediately. She could sense more darkspawn down in the village square and waved her companions on, yelling "At least fifteen, and two Ogres!"

"For the Grey Wardens!" Alistair bellowed as he charged down the next stretch of the hill.

Sten, Oghren, Lucius and Cauthrien followed Alistair; Leliana stood at the cliff's edge, firing Andraste's arrows at any mages she could spot before she switched to fire arrows; Wynne and Morrigan joined her, casting spells to aid and protect their companions. Zevran winked at Kallian. "I shall have more kills tonight. What say you?"

"You're on!" She slipped into stealth and drew on her new ability to move more quickly, dashing past him to join the others.

xXx

Within the hour, they had cleared the village of darkspawn and were taking a moment by the edge of Lake Calenhad to rest and see to any injuries. Sten had two arrows in his left thigh and removed them both as though he were merely dusting himself off. Aside from that, and many scratches and minor cuts, they had fared well. Kallian had counted four kills, Zevran three. He argued she wouldn't have had that third one if he hadn't saved her from being decapitated. She silenced him with a kiss. When the post-battle banter died down, and Kallian knew her team to be reasonably calm again, she turned her gaze to the bridge across the nearby channel, running from just beyond the windmill over to the castle. It was clear and unobstructed; the castle itself looked calm.

"What do you think, Alistair? Should we all go in as one group? I sense about fifteen in the courtyard, maybe a few more." She rubbed the back of her neck to try to calm the crawling sensation that lingered there. Zevran's hands pulled hers away and began kneading the ropes of tension between her shoulders and skull.

"Mmmm…"

"Oh, don't you two start. Andraste's knickers, that's all we need." Alistair grumbled. "I say we just storm the front gates and courtyard, show them who's boss."

Kallian reluctantly twisted out of Zevran's grasp and rewarded him with a kiss. "Okay, let's go."

xXx

An ogre had managed to take them by surprise, just as they thought they'd vanquished the last of the darkspawn on the grounds, but Morrigan froze it solid, and Wynne hit it with a stone fist spell, shattering it into a million pieces. Kallian couldn't help cheering for them; they had never really collaborated on the field before, and the results were, if extremely gory, quite remarkable. They were checking the bodies for valuables when a knight ran out of the castle to greet them. Riordan had apparently arrived that morning as well, just ahead of the darkspawn, and guards had been posted to watch for her and Alistair. Riordan had urgent news for them, an announcement that sent shivers down Kallian's spine.

"I shall take you to the hall right away, my lady. They will be waiting for you there."

xXx

The great hall was lit only by the light of a fire at one end, where Eamon, Teagan and Riordan were standing with a few knights. Eamon waved a butler over, who began serving the newly arrived guests goblets of mulled wine.

"It is a relief to see you again, sisters. And you, as well, Alistair. Or should I say your majesty?"

"Oh, ah…no, don't do that. Not yet, anyway. Please." He rubbed a nervous hand over his head.

Riordan allowed the butler to refill his goblet and then waited for the man to leave the hall before he continued.

"The darkspawn that attacked Redcliffe were few in numbers, I'm afraid."

Kallian nodded. "I have been feeling something…strange since we last parted company, Riordan. What is going on?"

He regarded her for a moment before nodding in understanding. "The hoard is not headed in this direction as I had originally thought."

He paused as though he were trying to think of what to say next, when Eamon's voice cut the silence.

"Riordan tells us that the bulk of the hoard is, in fact, headed toward Denerim. They are perhaps two days away from the capital."

Several amongst the group audibly gasped and Kallian felt her knees wobble. Zevran slipped an arm around her waist, while his other hand gripped her hand in his. "My family, Anora, Isolde…"

He nodded and pulled her close, kissing her temple.

"What? Are we sure about that?" Alistair managed to ask. "I mean if that's true…"

Riordan nodded. "I ventured close enough to listen in, as it were. I am quite certain. As soon as I could, I obtained a horse and headed straight here."

Kallian spoke, but it sounded like someone else, far away. "Has word been sent to Denerim?"

Eamon nodded, looking grim. "Word has been sent, but they need more than warning. They need our armies."

Riordan turned back toward the fire. "There is, I am afraid, one other piece of news that is of even greater concern. The arch demon has shown itself. The dragon is at the head of the hoard."

Eamon muttered "Maker preserve us"

"No…" Kallian swallowed back her fear and bit her lip, squeezing Zevran's hand again.

Alistair verbalized what everyone else was thinking. "But we _can't _make it to Denerim in two days. It usually takes us three and a half to four with horses and minimal delays."

Eamon nodded. "We must begin a forced march to Denerim immediately, with what we have. The capital must be defended at all costs."

"I agree." Kallian had gathered her wits and was determined to use them before her resolve withered. "We have gathered an army. Let's use it."

"But what about Redcliffe?" Alistair asked. "What if Riordan is wrong?"

Teagan stepped forward. "Redcliffe is fortified enough that a skeleton force can hold the walls should the darkspawn come." He raised an eyebrow to Eamon.

His brother nodded. "You will remain here, Teagan, while we march on Denerim."

Riordan pulled his gaze away from the fireplace. "The hoard must be defeated, but the arch demon is our true target. And only the Grey Wardens can defeat the arch demon. That is why we must go."

Alistair pulled himself up to his full height. "Then we march, and hope the army we've gathered gives us the chance we need. Arl Eamon, how long before the army can set out?"

"By daybreak, Alistair. Our horses need rest, we must replenish our supplies..."

"Then let's get them ready. I won't let all those people die without a chance."

"Then we're off to war. Let's do it." In her head, Kallian sounded quite cheerful as she said that. In reality, she sounded very grim.

Eamon nodded, pulling a cord that hung off to the side of the hearth. "Then I will give the orders at once, and will notify you the moment we are ready to march."

Alistair nodded, putting his hands on his hips as he began pacing. "That would be appreciated."

A butler entered the room and Eamon waved him over, whispering to him. The man quickly scurried out of the room. Riordan pulled Kallian and Alistair aside, nodding to Cauthrien to join them. "If you three could meet me before you retire, we have Grey Warden business to discuss."

As several servants returned to the hall with the butler, Eamon cleared his throat to get the attention of his guests. "I will have someone show you to your rooms, and bring you food and water, whatever you need. I would suggest that you get some rest while you can. We will need it."

"Riordan, may we freshen up before we meet with you?" Kallian was desperate to wash up and get out of her armor and she wanted some time alone with Zevran, to absorb what was happening.

The Warden was nodding, gesturing to the others. "By all means, please do what you must to get comfortable and then come to my room."

Servants approached, offering to help with back packs, to escort the guests to their rooms.

Zevran hadn't let go of Kallian since Riordan's announcement that the hoard was descending upon Denerim. When they were finally alone in their room, a fire blazing in the hearth and a few buckets of water nearby, she turned in his arms and embraced him, tears flowing freely, but quietly.

"Do not hold back for my benefit, amante. If we are going to be honest with each other, we must be honest in all things, yes?"

She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes, not wanting to break down completely. "I am so…afraid, Zevran. Shianni, Soris, Papae…Anora, Isolde and Connor, _all those people_…I know I must be strong and attend to my duty..."

She didn't want to say it, but she really didn't think the alienage had much of a chance to survive anything and she was most concerned about her own community, but to imagine the whole of Denerim falling to the darkspawn was more than she could bear. She removed her armor and hung it on the rack nearby, trying to maintain some control, but her hands were shaking. Zevran reached out for them, holding them with his.

"Let us get you dressed and ready to meet with Riordan. While you are gone, I shall prepare a dinner for us, perhaps find some wine? Perhaps a good massage is in order, hmm?"

With a shaky breath, she smiled and kissed him. "That sounds perfect, Zevran."

Minutes later, she was ready to go and embraced Zevran again. "I won't be long."

She pulled the door shut behind her and turned to see Alistair and Cauthrien coming down the hall toward her.

"Ah, there you are. Riordan's room is right here." He pointed to a door across the hall from her. "Let's go see what he has to say."

* * *

**A/N:** Some translations, if you need them …

Sei così bella, mia cara = You are so beautiful, my dear.

E tu sei così bello, il mio amante = And you are so handsome, my lover.

Thank you to Bioware for some dialogue. The initial conversation in this chapter is one of my favourite bits of companion banter.

I thought I might have written myself into a corner, suggesting that everyone left Denerim at the same time, but I think I covered myself here...As always, thank you so much for reading. I welcome any and all comments/suggestions/reviews, so please, by all means...! Cheers, Biff


	28. Duty

**Duty**

"Ah, you're all here."

Riordan stood back to allow the Wardens into his room and closed the door, waving to a small grouping of chairs near the fire. As they sat, he stoked the fire and turned to face them. Kallian certainly had not known the man for very long, or seen him in happier times, but she got the distinct impression this was not a 'good news' chat.

"You are new to the Grey Wardens, and you may not know how an archdemon is slain. I need to know if that is correct."

"You mean there's more to it than, say, chopping off its head?" Alistair asked, looking more than a little hopeful that there wasn't more to it than that.

Riordan frowned. "So it is true. Duncan had not yet told you. I had simply assumed…

"Tell me, have you ever wondered why the Grey Wardens are needed to defeat the darkspawn?"

"Ah…I _have_ wondered that…" Kallian replied cautiously.

Riordan began to pace. "The archdemon may be slain as any other darkspawn, but should any other than a Grey Warden do the killing, it would not be enough."

"Dead isn't dead anymore?" Alistair mumbled.

Cauthrien had remained silent, her eyes following Riordan as he moved around the room. Now, she turned to Kallian. Her expression was hard to read and Kallian wasn't sure what reassurances she could possibly offer the woman. She shook her head slightly and Cauthrien nodded, licking her lips nervously.

_Maker's breath, I hate it when I'm right, and I don't even know what I'm right about. This cannot be good._

Riordan sighed. "The essence of the beast will pass through the taint to the nearest darkspawn and will be reborn anew in that body. The dragon is thus all but immortal. But if the archdemon is slain by a Grey Warden, its essence travels into the Grey Warden instead."

Alistair's face wrinkled with confusion. "But…what happens to the Grey Warden?"

"A darkspawn is an empty soulless vessel, but a Grey Warden is not. The essence of the archdemon is destroyed…" Riordan made sure he had their attention. "…and so is the Grey Warden."

"Meaning…the Grey Warden who kills the archdemon…_dies_?" Alistair's voice was barely a whisper.

Riordan nodded. "Yes. Without the archdemon, the Blight ends. It is the only way."

Kallian's hands balled up into fists. She heard Cauthrien suck in her breath and Alistair's clothing rustle as he shifted his weight. She heard her heart pounding in her chest. Emotions she couldn't begin to identify were sweeping through her.

The words from the joining ceremony, _in death, sacrifice_, came back to her and she remembered Duncan talking about the duty that could not be foresworn, Wynne counselling her about her duty to all of Ferelden. She thought she had known what that meant, thought she had accepted that she probably would die a very gruesome death at some point. Truly, she nearly had a few times. But to _have_ to, to know that there really was no other way…

Her heart skipped a beat as she recalled Ignacio telling her Zevran would likely be safe if he stayed in her company. She closed her eyes and saw Zevran saying "I love you, Kallian." It took all her strength not to scream and cry.

She almost couldn't believe it when she heard herself say "Then it is up to the four of us to kill this thing" in a reasonably calm voice. Her fingernails dug into the palms of her hands and she tried to relax.

Riordan smiled sadly. "In Blights past, when the time came the eldest of the Grey Wardens would decide who among them would take that final blow. If possible, the blow should be mine to make. I am the eldest and the taint will not spare me much longer.

"But if I fail, the deed falls on you," he waved a hand at the three Wardens seated before him. "The Blight must be stopped now or it will destroy all of Ferelden before the rest of the Grey Wardens can assemble. Remember that."

He sighed and began walking toward the door. "But enough. There will be much to do tomorrow and little enough time to rest before it. I will let you return to your rooms."

Alistair stood, offering a hand to both Cauthrien and Kallian. "We will see you once the army is ready to march, then. I guess this ends soon, one way or another."

Riordan nodded. "That is does, my friend. That it does."

xXx

Alistair, Kallian and Cauthrien stood in the hallway outside Riordan's room, staring at each other.

"Cauthrien, I-I am sorry, I…"

"Commander…_Kallian_…it is all right. I had rather expected to be dead already, in truth." She managed a lopsided smile.

"Funny how I manage to give people a second chance _to die._" She was struggling to keep from crying or laughing, or both, and realized her hands were balled into fists again.

"This has been an enlightening evening. I must say I am quite glad Loghain did not succeed in killing you both, or…well, the consequences would have been quite dire. If he only knew…" She smoothed her hands over her tunic. "I think I will retire for the evening."

Cauthrien gripped each Warden's arm in turn, offering them both a smile, and walked down the hall and out of sight, leaving Alistair and Kallian alone.

"I feel sick," Kallian mumbled at last.

Zevran was waiting for her; how could she possibly enjoy the evening with him, knowing it most likely would be her last? She shook her head. That had been the truth every night for all of them, really, but death was certain this time. Very certain for the one who made the killing blow. Alistair could not be that person. Ferelden needed her king. If Riordan failed, Kallian was determined that either she or Cauthrien would make the final blow against the archdemon, but her mind was still reeling with the news. _Zevran_.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

Alistair shook his head. "Well. It's been quite a week, hasn't it? We won the Landsmeet and I am to be king, I made my best friend Commander of the Grey, the archdemon has finally appeared, looking for a fight, _aaaand_…we've discovered one of us has to die in order to kill it. I was rather looking forward to getting a rest after this pesky Blight business was over, but I didn't imagine it might be my last..."

He reached out suddenly and grabbed Kallian by the shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "Kallian, go to Zevran. I think I'm going to get really drunk. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Stifling a sob, Kallian stood on her toes and kissed Alistair's cheek. "Good night, my lord. I...shall see you in the morning." Crossing her arms over her chest, she bowed her head to him.

A tear threatened to escape Alistair's eye. "You, of _all_ people, my friend, need not observe the formalities of court, and certainly not before I am crowned king. But thank you. For _everything _you have done." He pulled her into another embrace.

Zevran appeared then, a bottle of wine and two goblets in his hands, and his face broke into a smile. "And what is _this_? Have you convinced our manly Warden to join us this evening, my dear?"

When neither Warden responded right away and in fact looked quite upset with their lot in life, he dropped the act.

"What is going on?"

Alistair stood back from Kallian, hands on her shoulders, his voice low. "I trust you…and Zev. It is up to you." With that, he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Good night, Zev."

Zevran nodded, his attention focused on Kallian. She looked tired and pale and it was obvious she was deeply distressed. A sense of unease gripped him. She took a deep breath and turned to face him.

"What is going on, mia cara?" Alarm bells were going off in his head. Something was wrong, but his mask remained in place.

Kallian motioned toward their room with a shaky hand. "We…we need to talk."

She slipped in front of him to open the door and they stepped into the room. Morrigan stood by the fire, warming her hands, when they entered.

"Do not be alarmed. 'Tis only I."

"Ah, Morrigan, what is it? Are you okay?"

"I am well. 'Tis you who are in da…." She turned and saw Zevran, and clapped her mouth shut.

Kallian's eyes narrowed. "_What_ were you going to say? _Danger?_" She closed the distance between them quickly.

"You know. _You know, don't you?_" The anger in her voice was unmistakable and she was jabbing a finger into the witch's shoulder.

Resisting the urge to grab Kallian's finger and break it, Morrigan nodded. "Aye, but I do not think this is a conversation we should have with others…"

"I am not some _'other'_, Morrigan, and I will not be dismissed from _our_ room. I will ask you once more, Kallian. _What is going on?_"

"Do. Not. Move." Kallian jabbed Morrigan's shoulder one more time and walked back to Zevran.

Hands on her hips, she stood before him, looking at the ground between his feet, trying to decide where to start and what to say. He took her chin in his hand and tipped her head up to look him in the eyes. Held in his gaze, the words came tumbling out of her.

"Riordan tells us that only a Grey Warden can kill the archdemon, and they will die in the process. It is the only way." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I didn't know. Duncan never even told Alistair. _Six months_ they travelled together, and he never told him."

Zevran was quiet for what seemed like an eternity to Kallian, his eyes searching her face. He finally moved, his hand shifting from her chin to her cheek to catch a stray curl and tuck it behind her ear. He deliberately let his thumb linger along the edge of that delicate ear and then he pulled her to him, catching her lips in a passionate, but brief kiss. Forehead pressed to hers, he spoke.

"Perhaps he hoped it would never be necessary. Do you wish me to leave?" His mask was still in place, but she could see concern and fear in his eyes.

"No. We are in this together, you and I." She put a hand to his cheek, trying to push back the sorrow she was feeling. "Besides, you should probably stay to make sure I don't kill Morrigan."

He smiled and gestured toward the back of the room, where Morrigan stood with her arms folded over her chest.

"As you wish, although I am not, perhaps, the best man for _this_ particular job."

"Kallian, I…"

"How did you know about this?" Kallian asked, returning to Morrigan.

"I have known for a while now."

"And you didn't think to _tell_ me? You're my _friend_, Morrigan, you have called me sister. We have been travelling together, fighting side by side, sharing camp every day for months now. Wynne, Alistair, Leliana and I almost _died_ killing your Mother to protect _you_, to bring you that cursed grimoire, and you didn't think I might want to know?"

Zevran could almost see the haughtiness drain from Morrigan's body, replaced by…fear. _Now _that_ is interesting, _Zevran thought.

"Not that it makes any difference. I mean, I am in this to the end anyway, I can't suddenly stop being a Warden." Kallian was pacing now, talking to herself more than anyone else.

"I-I did not think it my place to tell, and I did not think you would believe me."

"If I believed Flemeth was preparing to take over your body, I probably would have believed you about this, Morrigan. _Maker!_"

"I am sorry, Kallian."

Kallian stopped and stood her ground, trying to work out what to do next when Morrigan spoke again.

"I offer a way out, a way out for all Grey Wardens, that there need be no sacrifice. A ritual, performed on the eve of battle, in the dark of night."

Zevran came to Kallian's side. "Just what sort of ritual is this?"

"'Tis old magic, from a time before the Circle of Magi. Some might call it blood magic, but that is but a name. There is far more to fear in this world than names."

Kallian shifted uncomfortably, then relaxed as Zevran's hand settled on the small of her back. "And?"

Morrigan moved to their bed and sat. "What I propose is this. Convince Alistair to lay with me tonight…"

Kallian let out a short 'ha' and put her hand over her mouth. Fear and curiosity played across her face. Zevran cleared his throat and smoothed his clothing.

"…and from our joining a child will be conceived. The child will bear the taint and when the archdemon is slain, its essence will seek the child like a beacon.

"At this early stage, the child can absorb the essence and not perish. The archdemon is still destroyed, but no Grey Warden will die in the process."

Kallian sat down heavily. "So…this child becomes a darkspawn?"

"Not at all. The child will become something different, a child born with the soul of an Old God.

"After this is done, you will allow me to walk away…and you will not follow, ever. The child will be mine to raise as I wish."

"How do you know this will even work?"

"'Tis what my mother intended when she sent me with you. She was the one who first gave me this ritual and told me of what I was meant to do. This does not surprise you, does it? Did you not wonder why she rescued you, why she aided you? _This_ is why."

"And here I thought she wanted to make sure there would be enough Wardens around to kill the archdemon."

Morrigan's lip twitched slightly, whether with mirth or stress, Zevran wasn't sure.

"What is important is that I am offering this to you now. It _will_ work and it _will_ save your life.

"Consider the alternative. Alistair still loves you, although he tries hard to think of you as a sister. Indeed you are more so to him than that harpy Goldanna. I do not think he would allow you to take the final blow. If you did, he would lose the last of his family. And do you think he will fail to do his duty as the future king and save his country? You have many reasons to convince him to save his own life.

"And what of Zevran, hm?" Morrigan's eyes shifted to him. "You two have grown quite close. I saw that in Fort Drakon."

Zevran's eyes moved slowly back and forth between the two women before him as he listened to them speak. Kallian's body language screamed of tension and conflict. Her hands were clenched into fists, her arms flexed. Morrigan, in contrast, looked calm enough. Her voice was at times dreamy, as though some fantasy was about to be realized. At other times, as when she spoke of Alistair, it was sweet, almost loving if that were at all possible. _Emotional blackmail, the worst kind._ Zevran thought to himself.

Kallian was laughing, a bitter edge there. "Oh, very nicely done, Morrigan. Use my best friend and brother-in-arms and my lover against me. I want to know more about this child."

xXx

Kallian closed the door as Morrigan left, and turned around to lean against it. Sliding down to the floor, she pulled her knees up and rested her elbows on them. Holding her head in her hands, she took a few deep breaths. Zevran waited.

"Maker's breath, Zevran, I don't know what to make of this. I was miserable enough when I heard Riordan's news. You know, he was all 'doom and gloom, someone has to die' one minute, and then 'off you go, get some sleep, big day tomorrow' the next."

He went to her, knelt and took her hands in his. "Come eat something, have some wine. We shall talk."

She let him pull her up, seat her at their little table and fetch their food and drink. He put a linen napkin on her lap and sat across from her, ripping a loaf of bread into pieces.

"So if I don't agree to this, Morrigan will run off into the night, leaving us down one very talented and destructive mage, and one of the Grey Wardens will die tomorrow, without a doubt." She took a sip of wine and put some cheese and dried meat on her bread.

"If I do agree, whoever takes the final blow most likely lives, the Blight is over and I lose a friend, someone I've actually come to care a great deal for in spite of how horrid she is. But Alistair would have a bastard child out there somewhere in the world, and I expect he would not be happy about that.

"Either way, the four of us could all die before we even get to the archdemon…"

They ate in silence for several minutes before she looked at Zevran closely, eyes narrowed. "Aren't you going to say anything?" Her voice was a whisper, betraying some of the emotions she was trying to keep reigned in.

He looked up, a rare sadness in his eyes. "What would you have me say? That I cannot imagine this world without you in it? Or that I worry about what could happen if you make this deal with Morrigan? These things are both true.

"But they do not matter so much as what accepting or refusing this deal will do to you and Alistair. Can you live with yourselves either way? And what of this god child? Can you trust Morrigan? How can you be certain that it will not come back to destroy us all? _Ah_!" He tossed his napkin onto the table and leaned back in his chair, frustrated.

Kallian could no longer hold back. Napkin to her face, she sobbed. He rushed to kneel by her side.

"Amata, shh. I am sorry, I did not mean…" She shook her head.

"It isn't you, it's this whole situation! This isn't fair," she cried, feeling more like a child than the Commander of the Grey. "We…I hoped…"

"Kallian, my beautiful Grey Warden, no matter what you decide to do, no matter what happens, I am here for you."

He stood and pulled her up into his arms, swaying back and forth ever so slightly as she cried herself out. She finally straightened herself up and pulled back, drying her face with the napkin. Zevran released her and gave her some space while he tried to plan how they would get through this night together. _A hot bath, oils, a massage, a great deal of passion, and more wine._

She took her wine to the fire and stared at the flames, sipping occasionally. After a while, she spoke.

"I see it this way. I cannot assume that I know what Alistair will do when the time comes, but I think Morrigan is right. I also know that we have placed the last of the Calenhad line onto the throne, once held by his brother and his father before Cailan, after a long and arduous journey. I cannot stand the thought that it could all be wasted with one blow of the sword.

"Who's to say that Alistair wouldn't want to know that there is another way? Yes, there may be dire consequences to this ritual, but he has reason to live as well. I cannot, in all good conscience, make this decision for him."

Zevran took a deep breath and let it out slowly and quietly, hoping to keep his anxiety hidden from her. "It might be best for Alistair's sake if we pretend I was not privy to this conversation with Morrigan. You will go speak to him now and then tell Morrigan what you have decided?"

Kallian nodded, steadying her breathing. "Yes. I don't know how long I'll be. Zev?" She reached out to touch his hair. "I love you, more and more each day."

He caught her hand in his and kissed her palm. "And I you, mia cara."

xXx

Kallian stood outside Alistair's room and raised a hand to knock. He opened the door, a nearly overflowing goblet of wine in hand. He raised an eyebrow.

"Care to join me?" Wine splashed onto the floor as he waved his arm about the room.

Stepping inside, she closed the door behind her. This was not going to be easy.

"Are you all right? You look as though you've been crying." He let out a short, harsh laugh. "I wouldn't blame you. I want to cry."

"Morrigan had some…interesting news to share with me when I got back to my room."

Alistair looked at Kallian for a moment and took a sip of wine. "This is what it is to be king. Everybody always brings you the bad news. So what is it this time? Rats running amok? Cheese supplies run low? I can take it."

"Do you trust me?"

"Trust you? I owe you my life, Kallian. You are my best friend, like a sister to me. Of course I trust you." He sat down heavily, clearly well on his way to being drunk. Perhaps this would not be so difficult after all.

"What if I told you there was a way to avoid dying tomorrow?"

"You mean with the archdemon, right? If you mean running away, I can't do that." His eyes narrowed. "But you don't mean that, do you? What is this about?"

"Your wildest dreams come true. Sex with Morrigan." She almost laughed out loud, it was so absurd.

Alistair did laugh. "All right, that's pretty funny! Good way to cut the tension. So what's really up?"

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't make light of this. I am actually serious. It's part of a ritual."

The laughter was nervous now. "Cute. This is payback for all the jokes, right?"

Kallian simply stared back at him, waiting.

"But...you're not joking. You're...actually...serious?" He stood and took another gulp of wine, pacing unsteadily.

"Wow. Be killed by the archdemon or sleep with Morrigan. How does someone make _that_ choice?" He giggled, and then tried to get serious.

"You're not actually asking me to do this, are you?"

Taking his hand, she led him to his bed and sat down with him. "No matter what, Alistair, _you_ will not take the final blow against the archdemon, I will not let that happen. I did not go through all of this so you could play heroics and die before you're even crowned. Ferelden _needs_you, and I believe you will be a good king. If Riordan fails, Cauthrien and I will face the archdemon, one of us will kill it, and that is final."

She took his goblet, had a gulp of wine and handed it back. "Maybe eight, nine months ago, knowing I could die at any moment didn't bother me because I didn't care much about living. But this quest of ours gave me purpose and it brought Zevran to me. I found love and more than enough reason to live.

"I know this is selfish, I know there could be risks, and I cannot deny that Morrigan hurt me deeply by keeping this information from me. I will never see her again. I don't know how I feel about that."

Now she paced nervously. She had hoped she would not cry, but tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I cannot tell you to do anything, my lord, I can only ask. If you do not wish to do this, if I am asking too much of you, I shall accept my duty and lay my life down for you and for Ferelden, if it comes to that."

For the first time since she had started using his proper title, he let it pass. "What kind of ritual is this, anyway?"

Kallian almost couldn't bear to look at Alistair. "I cannot lie to you. It will produce a child."

"W-WHAT?" He stood abruptly to face her, nearly falling back onto his bed. "I must be hearing things. Are you telling me to _impregnate_ Morrigan in some kind of magical _sex_ rite?"

"Asking. I am _asking _you, Alistair."

"This...this child. Why would Morrigan want such a thing? Does she want an heir to the throne?"

"No, no. All she said is that you will never see it." Kallian risked a small lie.

"Right up until it marches up with an army to claim the throne, I'm sure." He looked around the room, to his brother's armour on a stand in the corner, his father's sword hanging beside it, to Kallian and finally to the wine in his hand.

"She assured me the child would not come back to harm us or Ferelden, and I think I can still trust her."

Taking another sip, he began pacing again. "Look, even if I was willing to entertain this idea, and I'm not saying I am, is this really what you want me to do? Are you sure?" He sat again.

Kallian went to him and knelt before him. "I am, if you will do it. If there were another way, a way for us all to live and end the Blight..."

"I'll do it." She wasn't sure she heard him correctly, but he repeated himself.

"I'll do it. Ughh. Where is she? Let's get this over with before I change my mind."

xXx

Kallian slipped back into the room she shared with Zevran, leaning against the door with her eyes closed, taking deep breaths. The room smelled of roses and she opened her eyes to see Zevran standing by the fire, naked, a rose in his hand. The tub was full of steaming water, rose petals were strewn around the room and in the water, and the table of food and wine had been moved closer to the tub. Firelight danced across his muscular body and golden hair as he held his arms open for her. Pressing the back of her hand to her mouth to stifle a sob, she walked to him and fit her body to his.

Perhaps he was right, maybe this was a huge risk to take, but as he began to undress her, the feeling that they could make it through this, that _he_ would be safe, comforted her.

* * *

A/N: Whew, this one almost killed me, but here it is. Thank you to Bioware, as always, for letting me play with their toys. A special shout out to Zevgirl and TMcgee for helping me with this one.

Please review/comment and let me know what you think. Cheers!


	29. Saving Denerim

**Saving Denerim**

Zevran's carefully planned out seduction was derailed not fifteen minutes later. They soaked in silence for a few minutes and then began to wash each other. He had, perhaps, allowed his hands to linger a bit too long between Kallian's legs, at her breasts, and along the edges of her ears. When it was her turn to wash him, her hands traced the curves and muscles of his body, as if she were writing them to memory, and it made him ache with longing. He settled back into the water to rinse and mentally crossed the massage off his list of activities for the evening. They would be lucky to make it to the bed, he thought as he looked up. His eyes met hers and he stopped thinking. Their mouths met, lips parting eagerly to admit one another, tongues and teeth teasing. Their bodies melded into one quickly, and neither seemed to be thinking, just _doing_ by instinct. They moaned their pleasure into the air between them, foreheads pressed together, and were still for a moment.

Kallian held onto the sides of the tub and arched her back, her body clenching around him as he began to move within her. Beads of water rolled off her body, sparkling in the firelight. Growling, he brought his mouth to her breasts to lick and nibble at her nipples. She dug her fingers into his hair and pulled his head back, kissing him, giggling as the bath water began to slosh back and forth, threatening to spill out of the tub. Lucius retreated to his bed of furs in the corner and settled down.

"Mmmia cara…we…should…" Zevran could only nod slightly toward the bed as she continued to kiss him.

"Mmmm…mmkay." Kallian stood slowly and sighed as she fumbled her way out of the tub and pulled a towel around herself. "You really know how to…"

"What is that?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his warm breath wafting across her cheek.

Before she could respond, he caught her up in his arms and carried her to their bed, kissing her along the way. Laying her down gently, Zevran pulled Kallian's towel open and stood back for a moment to admire the view.

Kallian whimpered, holding her arms up toward him. "Please, Zevran, I want you."

Slowly, with a predatory look in his eye, he climbed up onto the bed and crawled along her body, grabbing her wrists and holding them at her sides. He planted kisses on each knee, a mark on her left thigh, another on her right. His fingers and lips brushed up and over her luscious sex to her belly and breasts. Grinning wickedly at her, he wedged a knee between her legs and forced them apart, causing her to gasp. He could feel her pulse quicken beneath his fingers, feel the telltale dampness on his leg. She was breathless and lovely, eyes half closed, waiting for him. There was no denying it; he had been a fool to try. He loved her truly, more than life itself and he wanted to protect her, love her, and have a life with her. There was nothing he would not do for her and he desperately wanted to shake the feeling that the future he hoped for was now in jeopardy.

"What is it, Zev?" Kallian had caught the strange look on his face, but it was quickly passing.

"Ah, mia cara, I could not help but pause and adore you. You are so very, very lovely." He purred as he settled himself upon her, lips grazing hers, his mask back in place.

She moved her hips beneath him, as if she were trying to coax him into her body.

"What is it, my little minx, hmm?" He shifted his weight and put his other leg between hers, forcing hers further apart.

"What do you want?" He pressed his member against her opening.

"Zev, please." Her breath hitched and she moved against him.

"Mmm?"

He slid into her, only a bit, teasing, and withdrew. As Kallian protested, he moved into her again, sheathing more of himself within her before pulling out. He tortured her thus a moment longer before plunging his full length into her. With a shout of pleasure, her hips rocked up to meet his and their bodies danced together, wildly. They rolled about the bed as they made love, bending into various positions, kissing, licking, biting, stroking and pinching one another, until Kallian was overcome.

Zevran pulled away from her as she relaxed again, and began kissing her nether lips, probing her with his tongue. On an impulse, he put his hands under her knees and folded her legs up over her belly, lifting her bottom into the air slightly. He continued to lap at her, but slowly worked his way down toward her other entrance until he was circling it with his tongue while he teased the bud of flesh above with his thumb. Kallian gasped and when she did not protest, he pushed his tongue into her. She groaned and he continued to pleasure her until she tugged on his hair.

"I want you in me again, Zev, please, I-I…_AH!_"

Zevran did not need to be asked twice and thrust into her warmth, holding her tightly, his face buried in the tangle of damp hair at her shoulder. The smells and tastes of sex, roses and soap, the feel of her beneath him responding so deliciously to his touch, her body wrapped around his, all soon became too much for him to bear any longer and his seed spilled into her as they moved together. Panting, he collapsed on her, and they stayed that way as the last of the day's light surrendered to night.

xXx

Kallian drifted off to sleep in Zevran's arms and he watched her in the dying firelight. The earring at the base of her throat caught his attention and he gently fingered the ribbon that held it there. She moved, rolling away from him, and he had an opportunity to get up without disturbing her. Slipping out of bed, he retrieved a dagger and returned to Kallian's side to cut the ribbon, pulling it from around her neck with great care. Finding the earring as it fell to her pillow, he palmed it and searched for his clothing. When Lucius stirred, Zevran gave the dog a treat.

"I will be back, my friend. Keep an eye on our mistress, yes?" With a nod to the hound, he added a log to the fire and slipped out of the room.

xXx

He had fallen asleep by the fire, polishing a glove. The rest of their armor hung on the rack, gleaming. Lucius was sprawled at Zevran's feet, a beef bone between his paws, his eyes on the bed. The hound moved a foot out to touch Zevran's and whined. As the assassin stirred, Kallian sat up with a gasp, hands at her throat.

"Flemeth!" she coughed.

"Are you all right?" Zevran put the glove aside and brought a water jug and goblet to the bed.

"Why didn't I think of that sooner?" She mumbled to herself as though she weren't aware that he was there. "Maker's breath…"

Her hands groped at her neck and throat, down her body and over the bed, her face wrinkled up with concern. "Where is it, _where is it?_"

"Kallian, what is wrong?" He grabbed her hands. "Where is what?"

"The earring you gave me, it's gone! I had it on before…" Her voice had an edge of panic in it.

Zevran laughed. "No, no. I have it right here, amata, calm down."

He patted his left breast with his hand and pulled the earring out of his pocket. He had reworked the prongs so that it could be worn as an earring again.

"Why…where is the ribbon?"

"If you will let me explain...?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed.

"Okay."

He settled down beside her and pulled the sheets and blankets around her.

"When I gave this to you, I was…confused. I did not fully understand what you meant to me and I presented this to you as a token of appreciation for helping me kill Taliesin, which I have come to regret." He paused to look down at the earring in his hand and was surprised to find that he was trembling.

Kallian's hand covered his. "What are you saying?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Zevran took a breath and looked her in the eye. "I want to give you this earring as a token of my love and affection. When this is over, I will find you a proper ring…"

She placed a finger on his lips. "Is this a proposal?"

"Merda, I…_Yes_. Not the best, sadly, but yes it is. If you will have me."

A smile graced Kallian's lips as tears fell down her cheeks and she nodded. She moved to her knees and took his face in her hands. "I _will_ have you, Zevran Arainai."

"Ah, that is a relief. I thought I might have ruined it. Under normal circumstances, I would have taken more time to plan. So…you will marry me?"

Kallian laughed and embraced him. "Yes, yes, yes. Yes! You will have to speak to Papae…" Her voice trailed off and sadness crept into her expression.

"I will speak with your father when this is over, mia cara."

"If…"

"Not if, _when_. Yes?" She nodded. She could be happy about this or she could worry about things that had not come to pass; with Zevran holding her in his arms, the choice was remarkably simple.

xXx

Kallian stood at the vanity, holding her hair back so she could see the emerald earring dangling from her left earlobe. It had hurt more than she thought it would, but she had done her best not to cry out when Zevran pushed the needle and earring through her ear. She'd had more than a few arrows pulled from her body and suffered enough injuries to make something that simple seem laughable. Zevran had gone to the kitchen to get them some food and was arranging it on their table.

"I believe Morrigan is up. I heard her in her room. Perhaps we could ask her to heal that for you."

At the mention of Morrigan's name, Kallian stiffened and Zevran's memory was tweaked. "Yes, we should go see Morrigan," was all Kallian said as she turned to walk out of their room.

xXx

Morrigan answered the door wrapped only in a sheet and regarded them both for a moment before letting them in. "What is it?"

Kallian sat down. "I am sorry to disturb you, Morrigan, but I have a question for you. Is Flemeth _really_ dead?"

Morrigan frowned. "What? 'Tis you who were there. Did you not kill her?"

"Oh yes, I killed her. I ran up that dragon's back and ran my blades into its eyes and Alistair cut its head off. But he said the most ridiculous thing yesterday. He asked Riordan if dead wasn't dead anymore and…" she ran her fingers through her unruly curls. "…well, I-I had a terrible thought. Too late of course." Kallian shook her head.

"Your mother was preparing to take over your body when she had the good luck to meet Alistair, a young, newly recruited Warden, and a whole new plan opened up, yes? You travel with us, get pregnant, go back home, she possesses you, has the child, raises it, _possesses_ it and is…what, an incredibly powerful Old God Witch of the Wilds?"

Zevran shifted his weight uncomfortably behind her and busied himself with smoothing his clothes and hair. This possession business was news to him. The others hadn't talked much about Flemeth's demise or why they had hunted her down in the first place. Morrigan sat down on her bed as Kallian continued to talk.

"You said you couldn't go with us to take care of your mother and get that grimoire because you were afraid she still might be able to possess you as her body died, and we all know she's powerful. I guess what I'm asking is how powerful is she? Is there any way she can still be a threat to us, to Ferelden? Could she be…I don't know, like a demon, lurking in the Fade, waiting for this child to be born?"

"I do not know." The slightest hint of concern had crept into Morrigan's voice.

"You don't know. _You don't know_?" Sighing, Kallian put her hands on her hips and looked at the ceiling. "Well then. It's done, isn't it, so it's too late now. Gah! I don't know what Alistair is going to think of this, and I'm not sure we should tell him. Not until this is over, anyway."

Zevran cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should prepare to march to Denerim, yes? Get your ear healed?"

"What is wrong with your ear?" Morrigan asked, grateful for the distraction.

Kallian pulled her hair back to reveal her newly pierced lobe.

"Ah, 'tis a lovely jewel." Morrigan stood and passed her hand over Kallian's lobe, a pale blue light covering it, and held the bobble out with a finger to take a closer look.

She paused and scrutinized Kallian closely, causing the Warden to pull back. "What is it?"

Morrigan put her hand to the young woman's forehead for a moment and smiled. "'Tis nothing, do not be concerned. You looked flushed, but you do not have a fever."

She stepped around Kallian and went to the door. "If you do not mind, I must dress and eat before we depart."

"Not at all, we must as well. Thank you, Morrigan."

The witch let the two elves out and closed the door, sagging against it. The Warden was pregnant, about two weeks along if Morrigan's instincts were correct, and very likely she did not know it yet. This did not present a problem for Morrigan; there had been special potions to consume in preparation for the ritual and an incantation to be recited during the act. This child of Alistair's would draw the archdemon's soul to it. No, she was concerned for Kallian, loathe though she was to admit it. Elves had a tendency to miscarry, there was the taint in her blood, she was facing long battles ahead, it could not be ruled out that contact with the archdemon might affect the child, and what of the assassin? Would he stay with her? Morrigan shook her head. This sentimentality would do her no good. Her eyes drifted to her bed.

Walking to it, she pulled the curtain back and gazed at Alistair. He was stretched out on his back, one arm across his chest, the other flung back over his head, face calm. It had been a surprisingly enjoyable experience for them both, she thought with a slight smile. In an uncharacteristically kind moment, she had sent him into an enchanted slumber for the night. They had a long journey ahead of them still and she thought it best that he be rested and unencumbered by nightmares before they departed. She drew the curtain again and began dressing. He could sleep a while longer.

xXx

Dawn broke on a grey and dismal day. The courtyard was filling up with the Arl's men and their families. Women and children clung to each other, husbands and wives shared one last embrace and kiss before parting. Children were hugged and told to be brave. Teagan would keep the villagers housed at the castle for the duration of the war against the Blight and stood with those remaining behind to bid the army farewell. The sorrow in the air was palpable as the Grey Wardens and their allies finally pulled out of the courtyard and surrounding encampments to began the long march to Denerim.

Kallian had numerous discussions with Eamon, Riordan, Alistair and the heads of their allies' armies over the next few days. In addition to the careful planning they put into when and how they would rest as they hurried to Denerim, they had to plan for their arrival. They plotted out the ways and means of getting into and around the city, the locations of potential darkspawn tunnels, places where they may be able to set up field infirmaries, when and where to use their various allies, and on it went. They ate on the move and slept in short shifts, primarily in the Dalish aravels and the numerous wagons they had brought with them. Anyone who wished it was welcome to rely on magic for a more restful and shorter sleep and most did. The entire group also stopped each night for a full three hours to sleep, and they arrived at their final proposed encampment in four days, a few hours before dawn. Riordan would scout ahead; the army would eat and sleep briefly before the final march into Denerim.

They were within approximately six hours' travel from Denerim. There was an old wall along the forest's edge, the last remaining vestige of a fort whose purpose was long forgotten, which provided a fair amount of coverage for the army. Kallian had nearly wept at the sight of Denerim on the distant horizon, a hazy red glow. The city could have been under attack for more than two days for all they knew, and it burned. Would there be anything left to save when they arrived? She had to believe there would be. Zevran hastily erected their tent, threw a fur and some blankets down and pulled her inside, leaving Lucius to guard the door. Removing their armor as quickly as possible, they stretched out in each other's arms and tried to make the most of the two hours they had left.

xXx

As dawn's first light began to compete with the red haze surrounding Denerim, Alistair and Kallian stood before their army, the young king's head bent close to the Warden Commander's as they argued over who should speak. They gripped arms and stared at each other for a while before Kallian nodded and Alistair turned to climb atop the platform that ran along the ruin where they were currently concealed. She followed to stand beside him. The crowd was quickly silenced. Alistair looked at their assembled allies and took a deep breath.

"Before us stands the might of the darkspawn hoard! Gaze upon them now but fear them not. The woman you see beside me is an elf, raised to the ranks of the Grey Wardens! And never a more glorious Grey Warden had there been! She has survived against the odds and without her, none of us would be here!"

Alistair's voice grew stronger as he spoke, his posture more confident, and he walked back down to ground level to wander amongst the army.

"Today, we save Denerim! Today, we avenge the death of my brother, King Cailan! But most of all, today we show the Grey Wardens that we remember and honor their sacrifice! For Ferelden! For the Grey Wardens!"

A roar rose from the crowd, the pack of mabari they had brought howled, and as one body, man and beast were off and running.

xXx

The scene at the gates to Denerim was grim, to say the least. Nearby fires scorched the earth and air, smoke clouded the sky and stung their eyes, the sounds of men and women and darkspawn dying were all around them and the stench of death hung everywhere. The entire army was called upon to help what was left of the city guard defend and secure the main gates. It was a brutal battle and Kallian knew the army would be calling upon the mages for rejuvenation as much as anything else. She was exhausted and this fight had only just begun. As they were gaining ground, a might roar shook the earth beneath their feet and she turned her eyes to the sky to see the belly of the very beast that had been haunting her dreams since her joining. The archdemon circled above them and flew towards the center of the city.

When they finally had the upper hand, and had secured the outer gates, Riordan flagged down Kallian and her companions and waved them over.

"You've managed to fight your way to the gates. We are doing better than I hoped."

"That will change quickly," Sten grumbled.

Oghren belched. "Bloody nug runners! We're outnumbered three to one!"

Wynne frowned at Oghren. "What are we to do now, Riordan? You have a plan, I assume?"

The Warden nodded, turning to face the inner reaches of the city. "The army will not last long, so we'll need to move quickly to reach the archdemon." He turned to face Kallian.

"I would suggest you take Alistair and no more than two others with you into the city. Everyone else can remain here to prevent more darkspawn from entering Denerim on our tails. "

"Ah…any suggestions?" She was craning her neck in an effort to get a look past the inner walls of the city to see if she could spot the archdemon, but smoke was blurring her vision.

"We're going to need to reach a high point in the city…I'm thinking the top of Fort Drakon might work."

"Oh, it's a lovely place. I can hardly wait to go back." Kallian groaned.

"The top of…you want to draw the dragon's attention?" Alistair paled.

Riordan nodded grimly. "We have little choice, though the moment we engage the beast it will call its generals to help it. I can sense two generals in Denerim. You may wish to seek them out before going to Fort Drakon."

Leliana spoke up. "I'm sure that if we did slay those generals, it would stop the darkspawn in the city from doing a lot of harm!"

"It may also waste resources trying to find them. The decision is up to you."

Kallian closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. "I can't get a sense of what's around me. Can you tell where the generals are?"

"No, only that they are not near the archdemon. There are too many darkspawn around to tell you anymore."

She nodded and pursed her lips. He continued to speak, saying something about their allies and calling them for assistance, but she was trying to decide who she would take with her into Denerim. And then Riordan was asking her that very question. Her mind made up, she spoke.

"Cauthrien, Leliana, Wynne, you're with me."

"What?" Alistair roared.

Zevran's anger was far less noticeable, but Kallian could see it in the way his posture stiffened and his jaw tensed.

"I'd rather be going after the archdemon…" Alistair was saying.

Kallian clasped her hands together in front of her as though she were praying, choosing her words carefully. "Look, we don't really have time for this, so please listen to me before you say anything else, and please know that this is not easy for me.

"Alistair, I may not have said it in so many words, but I am standing by what I told you last night. You will not be on the front lines today. Your countrymen need their king and you will fight with them today because you are what they need to be. You are brave, honorable and loyal and yes, you would die for your country if that's what is needed, but I pray to the Maker you won't die today, Alistair. Brother, please."

Alistair took her hands in his and nodded. "I cannot say I am happy about this, but I will not argue with you. I'll do my best out here. You…you be careful in there, all right? I don't want to lose another Grey Warden. Or a friend.

"So many things can happen, Kallian…I want you to know that it has been an honor fighting by your side. Go find that archdemon and kick its ass."

Kallian could feel the telltale tingling behind her eyes and willed herself not to cry. "That bloody archdemon doesn't stand a chance, my liege."

She turned to Zevran with a tight smile. "I think I'd like to speak with you last. Please?"

His displeasure became even more apparent in the way he folded his arms over his chest and nodded sharply. Lucius leaned against his leg and whined.

Oghren gave her a little punch in the arm. "Well, this is it, kiddo. 'When from the blood of battle, the stone is fed, let the heroes prevail and the blighters lie dead.' He he…as one of the blighters, I sodding salute you. Let's show them our hearts and then show them theirs."

"Aye, my friend. I want you to lead the forces here, all right?"

He nodded. "Let's just get on with it."

Sten stepped forward, gripping her shoulder. "We have reached the battlefield at last. The Arishock asked what is the Blight and even though I stand here staring it in the eye I do not have an answer for him, but perhaps you do. You led us here, do not doubt that."

"Thank you, Sten."

Morrigan pulled Kallian far enough away from the others to keep their conversation private.

"After all that I will not be going with you?"

"In your delicate condition?" Kallian tried to joke.

"I would still see this through to the end, but 'tis as you wish. Let us part ways now. You go your way to your destiny and I shall go my way to mine."

Her expression was far more tender than Kallian had ever seen it and she felt a pull in her chest as she realized this would be the last she would see of her friend. She reached out and took Morrigan's hands in hers.

"Thank you, Morrigan. For everything. I…just take care of yourself, okay?"

"I did not know what it was to have a friend, once, but you I would gladly consider such. Go, slay your archdemon. Live gloriously, my friend." She squeezed Kallian's fingers.

Zevran had stayed close and was at her side. "You do not wish me to stand by you in the end?"

"Please understand, Zev. I don't want to put you in that kind of danger." She chewed on her lower lip and reached down to scratch Lucius behind the ears. He leaned against her leg, tail between his legs.

Zevran laughed gently, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "Oh, now you worry about my health? In truth, for the chance to be by your side I would storm the gates of the dark city itself, never doubt it."

Kallian stepped closer, holding his hands over her heart. "I love you, Zevran Arainai, and I have every intention of returning to your side to be your wife."

"Cruel to the end," he breathed into her mouth as he leaned in to kiss her. "Trying to assassinate you was the best thing that ever happened to me."

His kiss said everything else she needed to hear and with a heavy heart she pulled herself away from him.

"Lucius, I will be back. I want you to stay here and keep an eye on Zev and Morrigan, okay?" The hound woofed with understanding.

Kallian turned to face Riordan and her chosen team. With a nod, she took the bugle he offered to her and waved to Arl Eamon's men. Pointing her forefinger into the air, she moved her hand around in a circle and pointed toward the inner gates. The rest of the army drew closer, closing in on either side of the four, cheering them on as they went. The women stepped through the gates, followed by the soldiers who closed and barred the gates behind them. Swallowing back her fear and sadness, Kallian squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she let her mind search the smoky darkness ahead of them. The market. They would go to the market.

_Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter. Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just. Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow. In their blood the Maker's will is written._

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks to Bioware for letting me play with this. Love and gratitude to everyone who is reading, thank you for the comments and for adding me to alert and favourite lists. I really do appreciate hearing from you and hope you'll keep commenting. Zevgirl, you rock. Thanks so much for your continued support, my friend.

FYI...Goodbyes from the team members Kallian takes with her into the city have not been forgotten. It just didn't make much sense to me to have them here at this time. You'll see...! Cheers, Biff


	30. The Final Confrontation, Part 1

**The Final Confrontation, Part 1**

Zevran watched as the inner gates to the city swung shut behind Kallian, feeling tightness in his throat and chest. He instantly regretted allowing Kallian to see even the slightest hint of his anger at being left behind and not telling her that he loved her. He was beginning to see her love as a gift unlike any other she had given him and he hadn't thanked her for it. _I should have told you. Ti amo, mia bella canaglia. Ritornate a me._

xXx

Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter. Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just. Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow. In their blood the Maker's will is written.

Kallian repeated the Chant of Light verses to herself as she dropped to one knee to pull a map out of her backpack, reading it by the light of a burning wagon on the side street they were following. "Andraste's tits," she mumbled, looking up and down the street.

Cauthrien knelt beside her as Wynne and Leliana drew closer. "What it is, Kallian?"

"The destruction, it's making it difficult to pinpoint where we are, and I wasn't exactly allowed to roam about the city freely as a child." She rubbed her eyes. "That and I feel like I just cut my left leg off. Zevran…" Kallian paused as her throat tightened and took a breath. There was no need to expand on that thought.

"Alistair and I have been fighting together for nearly nine months now and I…oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't…"

The warrior offered a sad smile. "No need to apologize. We weren't going to do that, remember? But I do know what you mean. Let me?" She reached out for the map and the two of them stood.

Cauthrien turned the map a few times and looked around to get her bearings, then traced a street from the main gate to the west as the soldiers approached.

"We are here," she said, tapping a spot on the map along the north wall of the city. "If we continue this way a few more streets, we can head south into the market, here. We'd enter near the Chantry."

"I don't suppose any of the underground tunnels will be of much use to us right now."

"No. Not many of them are accessible through these residential areas. Not by design, anyway. They fan out from the Royal Palace to the market, the various estates around the city, Fort Drakon, the taverns…Most of the outside entrances to the tunnels are along the inner wall of the city, which is itself a tunnel."

A soldier spoke up. "Commander, depending on where these generals are, if we can make it to the Pearl, there's a tunnel straight through to the Royal Palace. We'd have to find the tunnel to Fort Drakon, but I would imagine it's in the dungeons."

"Really? There's a tunnel from the Palace to the Pearl?" The soldier nodded.

"Huh. Ah, what's your name?"

"It's Richard, Commander."

"Call me Kallian, Richard, please. Do you or someone in your ranks have a map of the city and something to mark it with?" He nodded again, patting his breastplate to indicate he had one tucked away.

She looked him in the eye. "Okay. I want someone to keep track of those killed in battle and where their body can be found. If possible, I want to send our fallen soldiers to the Maker properly. Make sure other men know this…you know, in case you…" Kallian chewed her lip and mentally berated herself for showing weakness.

"I understand, Kallian."

"Thank you. We should push forward. There are some darkspawn ahead, but there is a much larger group in the market and I think that is where we will find our first general."

xXx

They were pressed along the wall of the Chantry courtyard, soldiers hiding behind them and up the stairs. From where she stood, just shy of being able to look along the front wall of the courtyard, Kallian could see that the central area of the market, Goldanna's house, Wade's smithy, and the little alcove between the two where they met their Mages' Collective contact, were destroyed. Little fires burned everywhere. Whatever wasn't destroyed was boarded up. The distant sounds of people screaming and steel clashing against steel were brought closer by the wind. Her eyes, normally capable of seeing much more in the dark than a human's, were burning and watering, and she wondered how well the others could see. She blinked furiously and tried to shake the tears from her eyes, taking a peek around the corner. She pulled back quickly, gasping "Holy Maker" before taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"Ogres," she mouthed to her companions. She raised three fingers and pointed to the east. The ground beneath them shook and she knew the darkspawn had sensed their presence. "I think there are several, but I only see three. Let's go."

With a blood-curdling scream, Cauthrien and several of Eamon's warriors ran straight into the central market area, drawing the ogres' attention while Leliana and a small collection of soldiers who were proficient with cross bows began to pick off hurlocks and genlocks as they advanced on the warriors. The rest of the soldiers raised a war cry in unison, knocking down several darkspawn, which they immediately attacked. Kallian slipped into the shadows and made her way around the outskirts of the group, looking for anything that might give her an advantage. She came around behind a wagon that was tipped up toward the back of one ogre, pausing for a moment to observe that its load had tumbled forward and might support her weight. Pulling her weapons out, she sprinted toward the wagon. Bounding up to the other end and springing off of it, she dug her blades into the ogre's back and began climbing up. It tried to shake her off, but she hung on for dear life while members of her army hacked at its legs. Kallian felt more focused now and renewed energy and determination propelled her. Reaching the ogre's shoulders, she plunged her blades into either side of its neck. Feeling the beast tip forward, she ripped her weapons back out of its body and leapt to the ground, tumbling out of the way. As the ogre landed on the ground the earth shook violently and then continued to tremble as more ogres stomped into the market.

The battle continued. In the end, Kallian counted eight ogres, around 20 darkspawn of various ranks, and the general itself, which she beheaded with Richard's help. Ten of the Arl's men were dead, but those who lived had miraculously avoided fatal contact with darkspawn blood. Kallian had only suffered minor cuts and bruises, being able to hide in the shadows quite a bit as she had. While Wynne worked to heal injuries, and Cauthrien and Leliana organized stripping the fallen enemy of their valuables, Richard dutifully noted the names of the dead. The bodies of these men and women were arranged within the Chantry courtyard as quickly as possible, and Leliana recited a prayer for their souls.

Kallian stood and turned to the soldiers. "I want you to return to the city gates and send the dwarves to meet us in the alienage. If you are able to, I want you to rest for a time. Our ultimate destination is the top of Fort Drakon and I will want everyone to be ready to assist us with that final confrontation."

The men bowed and Richard spoke up. "It has been an honor fighting with you, Comman…I mean Kallian."

"And you as well. You have all fought bravely and we have much to be proud of today. There is still a great deal to be done, but I remain confident we shall be victorious. May the Maker watch over you all." She waved Richard to her side.

"Please send word to our king of our progress, and let the others with him know that we are well."

He nodded with a smile and bowed. "I will, my lady. Maker be with you."

Kallian watched the soldiers disappear around the wall and up into the stairwell before she turned to her companions and nodded toward the far end of the market area where they could cross over the river to the alienage.

xXx

The four women hurried up the stairs and across to the bridge to the alienage, but Kallian stopped in her tracks just short of the gates into the alienage and waved them back to hide along a narrow strip of grass that wrapped around the wall a short ways before sloping down toward the Drakon River.

"The gate's blocked! Ogres and darkspawn are trying to break it down." They had very little time to waste before they risked getting trapped.

Her eyes narrowed in on a depression in the wall near them just as Cauthrien was saying the wall to the alienage was similar in design to that of the city.

"This is almost too convenient. Look at this."

She felt around the depression for any little difference that stood out and found a loose brick. Fumbling with it for a few seconds, she finally felt it give slightly with a click and the door opened. Stale air blew out and she stepped into the darkness. Wynne cast a spell to generate a small orb of light that hovered above them and they found themselves in a stone and brick tunnel that ended just to their left and curved off to their right into darkness. It was just barely wide enough to allow the humans to walk forward normally; Sten would never have been able to enter it and Alistair would have been hard pressed to walk sideways in a crouch. Kallian was grateful she hadn't brought them. She spotted a torch along the wall and pulled it off, motioning Cauthrien to pass it along to the back of the line.

"Leliana, wait here for the dwarves and show them the way in. If there are other torches along the way, we'll light them. Okay, let's go, quickly," she whispered as she started following the curve of the wall.

xXx

Alistair saw the soldiers return through the gate, their numbers obviously thinned, and was momentarily uneasy as two soldiers split off from the main group and headed in his direction. Those left behind at the main gates had managed to secure them and were trying to rest while gathering information on what was happening both outside and inside the city. One soldier stopped to speak to the dwarves while the second continued. Alistair could feel Zevran at his side as he watched the dwarves disappear into the city. Eamon's soldiers closed the gates behind them. The second soldier was suddenly before them, bowing to him. Alistair wondered briefly if he would ever get used to that. He had stopped protesting that he hadn't yet been crowned and suspected Kallian would be pleased.

"Your majesty, my name is Richard and I bring news from the Commander of the Grey. With our help, she has cleared the market of darkspawn and killed a general and is moving on toward the alienage. The dwarves are headed there now to fight with her. She asked me to let you know they are all doing well."

"Thank you, Richard." Alistair spared the man a grin. "Why don't you get something to eat and drink, rest for a while…"

The young king waved the soldier over to an area near the inner wall where a wagon was set up for just this purpose. Richard bowed to his king and did as he suggested. Alistair turned to see Zevran looking quite relieved. Lucius seemed visibly relaxed, too.

For the longest time, Alistair had only ever seen two expressions on Zevran's face. Out of battle, he appeared calm and unaffected, an insatiable flirt. In battle he was focused, brutal, a dangerous opponent. Lately, however, he seemed genuinely happy and for the better part of today, whenever he was at rest, he looked concerned.

"You really are in love with her, aren't you? I mean totally smitten, follow her to the ends of the earth in love with her."

Zevran's smile didn't quite make it to his eyes. "Ah, you have caught me in a moment of weakness, hmm?" He wiped his dagger off, looking to the inner gates. "Yes, yes I am."

xXx

Kallian could see the end of the tunnel just a few feet ahead and could hear Leliana's voice singing a bawdy song over the sounds of armor scraping along the walls behind them. Their dwarven allies had arrived. She ate a piece of dried meat and brushed her hands off before putting her gauntlets back on and assessing the state of her companions. Cauthrien was a woman in her prime and barely looked tired; Leliana was remarkably resilient and was as of yet uninjured. Wynne, on the other hand was looking her age for the first time in a long time and the young commander was worried about the mage. Feeling oddly religious in the moment, she said a silent prayer to the Maker asking for strength and guidance, good health for those who fought with her.

"Okay, I think this door will give us access to the southernmost gates of the alienage. It certainly explains how the city guard manages to show up completely unannounced. I am sensing quite a few darkspawn back at the north gates, but it's hard to sort out what we're dealing with, so stay alert." Murmurs of agreement could be heard down the line.

Finding the lose stone again, she pushed it in and with a click and the sound of stone grating on stone, they felt fresh air waft over them.

xXx

As she had expected, they found themselves just inside the south gates of the alienage and made their way with haste to the center courtyard where the vhenadahl stood. Much to Kallian's horror, they ran into a group of elves who were preparing to defend the alienage and Shianni and Soris were leading them.

"Cousin?" Shianni called out. "Oh, am I glad to see you! The alienage is under attack."

Kallian couldn't help rolling her eyes. "That's why we're here, Shi."

"There's a large group of darkspawn trying to break down the gates and they won't hold for much longer."

"Shi, we can handle this. Get yourselves to safety!"

"No, Kalli, this is my home as much as it is yours. If you're going to fight then I will too!"

"We're with you," Soris piped up.

"Just tell us what to do and we'll fight for as long as we can, cousin." The others were nodding in agreement.

Pride conflicted with fear as Kallian stared at her cousins and their friends. Knowing it would be pointless to argue with Shianni, she nodded. "Stay back, defend your homes. And whatever you do, do not let any darkspawn blood get into your eyes, mouth or any wounds you may sustain."

"You heard what she said, come on!" Shianni yelled to the other elves standing nearby. Many of them scattered to residences nearby, while Shianni and Soris stayed with Kallian.

Kallian began giving orders as they moved toward the north gate, pointing around the alienage. "Wynne, can you cast an earthquake spell, followed by a tempest? That might keep them back a bit longer and you'd be protected from them if you stand there. Leliana, if you get up on that scaffold, you should have a clear shot over the gate. Torjak, send a few crossbowmen with her, please."

She stopped and grabbed Shianni's arm. "Where is Papae?"

"He's hiding with more of our community in a tunnel we found at the end of the maze of apartments to the south. They should be safe there, Kalli."

Kallian breathed a sigh of relief, but was quickly pulling her weapons from their sheaths. An ogre had finally broken through the gate and darkspawn were pouring through the opening it had made. She could see the hurlock general standing at the back of the group, preparing to cast a spell.

"Run, Shianni! Soris, go! Defend the others!"

She was barely able to spare a glance over her shoulder to make sure they were safe before she had to tumble away from the ogre that was charging her. As she stood, it beat its fists on the ground and the resulting tremors knocked her down again. She sprained her left wrist. Cursing, Kallian scrambled under nearby scaffolding and crawled as fast as she could to emerge behind the ogre, now howling with rage that it had lost sight of her. Warmth washed over her and the pain in her wrist disappeared. Wynne was standing beside her, looking pale and drawn, but as much as Kallian wanted to make sure the mage was all right, there wasn't time. She looked behind her to see that several dwarves were making quick work of the ogre and put it out of her mind. The general, on the other hand, was as yet unchallenged and was casting lightning and flame blast spells in quick succession. She spotted Cauthrien nearby and pointed toward the general. It was all the direction she needed to provide; Cauthrien beheaded the hurlock she was fighting, bellowed at the general and ran behind it, drawing its attention away from Kallian and the others. Leliana and the dwarves who had joined her focused their attention on the general, using fire arrows, and the thing fell quickly, its body ablaze. Momentarily distracted, Kallian felt something solid strike her in the back, pain shot through her entire body and she lurched forward to the ground, unconscious.

When she awoke a short time later, she realized she had been moved and was lying on her back. It was reasonably quiet, which concerned her. She tried to move and winced as pain shot down her back.

"It's all right, Kallian," Leliana's voice cooed. "Let Wynne work on you."

Kallian's body relaxed slightly as magic began to ease her pain. "What happened?"

"A hurlock rammed head first into your back. You have deep bruising, muscle damage, pinched nerves and…" Wynne's voice drifted off.

"No, I mean in the fight." Kallian squeezed her eyes shut against another spasm of pain, not seeing Wynne's somewhat confused expression.

Cauthrien's voice came to her from nearby. "Our losses are minimal, only a few dwarves fell. I've taken the liberty of having their bodies moved to an abandoned house to be dealt with later. Your cousins have been quite helpful, but I thought it best if they hide away with the rest of the community and defend themselves."

Kallian's skin was crawling and a sense of urgency overcame her. "Wynne, don't waste too much time on me. I just need to not bleed to death or get crippled up on the way to Fort Drakon. That's where we're going next."

"Well, I…you…yes, I think I am finished."

Kallian frowned as she pushed herself up. "Are you okay?"

Leliana and Cauthrien helped her stand and she began to stretch slowly, testing her movement.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I am just a bit tired." Wynne was fussing with her robes and backpack and Kallian couldn't get a sense of what was bothering her.

"Oookaay. Let's get moving." She began pulling her own things together when a sudden roar to the north caught her attention.

Grabbing her pack, she ran toward the bridge, her companions and their allies at her heels. She hadn't made it more than a few feet onto the bridge when she stopped dead in her tracks. The archdemon itself had appeared to their left. It pulled back momentarily, fixing them in its gaze, before it flew up into the air and dove back down at them. Kallian turned and yelled, pushing the others back. The archdemon roared, and as it swooped toward them it breathed out a stream of fire that hit the middle of the bridge. The bridge exploded, sending shards of rock and mortar flying in every direction. The archdemon continued toward the Palace District.

"Damnit!" Kallian shouted, looking around to make sure no one was seriously injured. "Torjak, can you and your men continue to fight with us?" Kallian motioned them back into the alienage.

"Aye, lass."

"Cauthrien, what's the best way to go once we're out of the alienage?"

The warrior put the map on the ground and traced her finger out of the alienage and to the west along a wide street that wound its way up the hillside to Fort Drakon in the southwest corner of the city.

"Right. We need to clear the area of darkspawn. Let's go."

xXx

They hadn't run into any darkspawn for several streets, but Kallian could feel a large group ahead of them, a mix of genlocks, hurlocks, ogres and shrieks. A smaller group was off to the north, heading to the main gates. She could sense Cauthrien nearby and tried to seek out Alistair and Riordan. To her surprise, she could sense a difference in the pull from both directions. Alistair was still at the gates; Riordan was somewhere ahead of them.

Kallian caught sight of the archdemon again as they were passing the street where the former Arl of Denerim's estate was located. She heard the archdemon first, thought it was shrieking in pain, and looked up. It was circling higher and she could spot someone on its back. Riordan. He was using blades to climb the archdemon's back, but the dragon was flying toward a nearby spire, twisting to scrape its back along the structure, and Riordan leapt to its wing. After a moment, she could see him losing his hold and then he was falling, falling. Time seemed to slow down and Kallian thought her heart would break. What must Riordan be thinking? She realized he would have far too much time to think and her stomach churned. Alistair would be crushed even though this was to be expected. Many people would die today, but that knowledge would not lessen the tragedy of each and every single death and she was feeling this one. Riordan's body fell to the ground, just out of sight two streets up the hill from them, and Kallian threw up. As she felt the touch of magic, she waved Wynne off and started walking again.

"Don't waste your strength on this, Wynne. I-I will be…okay." She reached for her water skin and rinsed her mouth, slowing her pace to look down a narrow street to her left.

She turned to Wynne, who was shaking her head. No one could have survived such a fall, Kallian thought, angry that she had even hoped for a moment he had. His injuries would have been severe and they would have to leave him anyway. She pushed her emotions aside and pulled herself up, taking a deep breath.

"Cauthrien, please mark this location on our map and note that our brother Riordan died here. And then we need to keep moving."

xXx

Alistair stiffened, a hand flying to his chest. Zevran caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to face the other man, a quizzical look on his face. Alistair was pale. They had heard an explosion earlier, but he had barely reacted to the noise. Something was wrong and Zevran feared the worst.

"Are you all right?"

Alistair's eyes closed for a moment before he shook his head. "Riordan…Kallian and Cauthrien are okay, but Riordan…"

Zevran could see the boy struggling with the man, but the conflict was short. Alistair pulled himself together, the man accepting this turn of events and resolving to mourn his loss later. Perhaps he will be a good king after all, Zevran thought, following Alistair's gaze toward the Palace District. At that moment, they heard Kallian raise the call for their Dalish allies.

A young man named Cael approached, asking Alistair for directions to Kallian's location. He paused for a moment to get his bearings then pointed southeast to the guard house on the left side of the main gates to the city.

"You'll find an archway that opens up to a foot bridge over the river. Keep heading south until you reach them. The dwarves haven't returned and I'd like to think they are still with her, so you shouldn't have trouble spotting them once you're over there."

"Dareth shiral, Alistair." Cael bowed his head and waved to his comrades and soon they were gone from sight.

xXx

The Palace District was crawling with darkspawn, reminding Kallian of their time in Orzammar and the Deep Roads. The dwarves appeared to be feeling more at ease now and tore through the darkspawn ranks. The Dalish arrived and most of them engaged in ranged attacks while the remaining rogues kept to the outskirts of the battle, narrowing in on unsuspecting targets. Kallian's nerves were on edge in spite of what was beginning to look like another success. The archdemon had fallen onto the roof of Fort Drakon not too long after Riordan had fallen to his death and she didn't imagine it would stay there long if it could help it. Her concern for Wynne was growing as well. The mage was obviously tired and her magic skills were being taxed to the limit. Kallian had seen her swallow several vials of lyrium potion since they'd left the main gates and without Alistair around to monitor her, Kallian had no way of knowing if Wynne was becoming addled or not.

They were approaching the steps of Fort Drakon when it happened. The last darkspawn in the area managed to knock and fire off one final arrow before falling. Kallian felt the arrow pass her head and heard a gasp from behind her. Turning, she saw Wynne collapse to the ground and heard Leliana's voice.

"Kallian, it went right through her!" Leliana exclaimed, kneeling at Wynne's side.

Wynne was gasping for air, bubbles of saliva and blood forming at the corner of her mouth. Cauthrien, Torjak and Cael gathered around, the rest of their army waiting for orders.

"Quickly, we need to get her inside!" Kallian looked around and spotted a guard house nearby. "There."

The others grabbed sections of Wynne's robes and lifted her as carefully as possible, shuffling her into the guard house. The interior was small and cramped, divided into an open area and what appeared to be an office, its door slightly ajar.

'Wynne, can you heal yourself?" Kallian fell to her knees, pulling her gloves and helm off.

The mage's hand reached out and grabbed Kallian's wrist. "Child..." She was wheezing now, barely able to pull shallow breaths of air into her lungs.

"Damn it, get me some lyrium, health potions, injury kits, anything!" She was snapping the fingers of her free hand. "Wynne, come on. Stay with me, stay with me."

A noise behind her caught Kallian's attention and in spite of the fatigue she was feeling, she was on her feet with weapons in hand staring at the door behind her. "Whoever you are, show yourself now!"

"I don't mean you any harm," a male voice stated.

The door opened a bit more and a tall blond man wearing gold and blue Tevinter robes appeared, hands in front of him, holding out a staff.

Wynne's voice drifted up from the floor. "Anders?"

"You're a mage?" Kallian demanded. When he nodded, she peered at him more closely. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you with the others?"

He didn't respond, instead falling to his knees at Wynne's side. "Hello gorgeous, you old bird, you. What have you done to yourself?" His eyes widened as he touched her. "What...?"

Wynne reached out for Kallian, who was on her knees again, and grabbed her wrist. "Can't...save...me. Child...protect..."

"No! Wynne, don't say that, please." A strange sensation was spreading from Wynne's hand around her wrist and up her arm, sending warmth and a sense of calm throughout her body. "What are you doing? Wynne, I'm okay, heal yourself!"

Kallian looked up at the stranger, Anders. "Heal her, please!"

Turning back to Wynne, she knew in her heart it was too late. While it didn't make any sense to her, Kallian could feel her panic and sorrow melting away and she knew what Wynne had done. Somehow, for reasons she couldn't begin to comprehend, the fade spirit that had sustained Wynne was within her now.

Leliana was crying softly, stroking Wynne's cheek. Cauthrien reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. Anders closed Wynne's eyes and then folded her arms over her chest before kneeling back on his heels to stare at her.

"I don't understand. She wasn't...what did she do to you?" He reached out and grabbed Kallian's arm, eyes widening again. "Andraste's knickers..."

Kallian stood up and composed herself. "Cauthrien, Leliana, I'd like a word alone with Anders, please. We'll just be a moment."

Once the two women had left and closed the door, she looked down at the mage. "That is actually a really long story and I'm guessing you know we don't have time for tea and a chat, Anders. I don't know who you are or why you're here away from the rest of the mages, but I don't care. Whatever your story is, I need a mage. Can you heal?"

"I was taught by the best," he replied, looking down at Wynne. "I am also quite good with ice and electricity. I will help you."

"Good. I mean, thank you. Ah...I'm just guessing here, so please don't be offended, but am I correct in assuming that if you survive you will want to get out of Denerim as quickly as possible?"

Anders smiled at her and stood up, smoothing his robes out. "Yes, that would be in my best interest, my lady."

"It's Kallian. You should know that First Enchanter Irving and eleven other mages are here from the Circle and they will be joining us soon."

"Templars?"

"I don't know for certain, but it's safest to assume some did accompany the mages." He nodded.

Kallian crouched down and took Wynne's hands in hers. "Good bye my friend. You have been like a mother to us all these months and we shall miss you dearly." She leaned over and kissed Wynne's cheek, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. "I really wish you hadn't done this, but I have always trusted you...I wish I could have told you what an honor it has been knowing you and to thank you for everything you've done for us, for me. Perhaps we'll meet in the fade one day." She kissed her finger tips and pressed them to Wynne's lips and bowed her head for a moment.

Pushing herself up, she wiped her face, put her gauntlets and helm back on and squared her shoulders. Turning to face Anders, she addressed him. "Okay, Anders. Stay back with the red headed archer, that's Leliana, and do your thing. Cauthrien wields a huge two handed sword and could cut you in half with it, so don't get too close to her." She motioned to the door and they prepared to leave. "I'm a rogue and a duelist, so I sneak around and stab things. I have some...unusual talents, and as you've suggested, I've got something else going on now too. I only have a vague idea what Wynne did, but I don't know why or what it will do to me."

Hand on the door handle, she paused. "Whatever you do, don't get their blood in your eyes, mouth or wounds, or you're done for."

"Look, are you sure you're all right?" Anders asked.

Kallian smiled faintly, shaking her head. "Yes, absolutely. I want to get this done, end this Blight, and go home. I'm getting married." She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Leliana, please sound the call for the rest of our armies. Let's take back Fort Drakon."

* * *

A/N: This chapter was hard to get into, most likely because I knew where it would end. And then I wrote the sad bit at the end and lost it and had to write it all over again, which made it doubly sad. I decided to try working with some of the inconsistencies in the game and added that little twist at the end. I realize it doesn't quite fit with what Wynne tells the PC about her situation, but there you have it. In the end, I might have rushed it a bit, so if you spot any errors, et cetera, let me know.

Ti amo, mia bella canaglia. Ritornate a me. – Roughly 'I love you, my beautiful rogue. Return to me.' Oddly, depending on where I put the punctuation when using the translator, canaglia became 'scoundrel', which certainly suits Zev, but not Kallian.

Many thanks to Bioware for letting us all play with their creation and to Zevgirl for kicking ideas around with me. Thank you to those who have added this story to your favorites list. I hope you'll take the time to comment/review, let me know what you like, don't like, think is highly improbably, or to shoot me an idea or suggestion. I love hearing from readers! Cheers, Biff


	31. The Final Confrontation, Part 2

**The Final Confrontation, Part 2**

The main gates reclaimed and secured, most of those left behind were in the area they had designated as the field infirmary. The wounded were being treated, the dead shrouded and laid aside, and others were resting. Sten, Oghren and Alistair stood on the battlements, keeping watch, and it appeared that the flow of stray darkspawn had been staunched. The call to arms came to them on the wind. Alistair leaned over the wall to observe the activity below him, between the two walls of the city. The remaining soldiers were gathering their weapons; the mages finished working with the injured, some muttering instructions to Morrigan before leaving, and collected their own things. Within minutes they were all disappearing south through the alcove at the main gates.

Zevran was sitting on a cot in the infirmary, tending to cuts on his arms, while Lucius sat nearby. The hound whined and shifted from one haunch to the other.

"I know, my friend, but you heard her. We are to stay here." He pulled a piece of dried meat from a pouch at his waist and tossed it to Lucius. Wanting for a distraction himself, Zevran finished bandaging his wounds and began to clean his weapons.

xXx

Kallian waited for the entire army to assemble in the Palace District. Having scouted ahead, she knew approaching Fort Drakon would not be an easy task. Within the enclosed courtyard leading to the main entrance of the fort, numerous hurlock archers were behind barricades they had placed before the stairs. Behind them, hurlock emissaries, genlock alphas and shrieks rounded out the party. She gathered her companions, leaving Anders to his own devices so he could avoid Irving, and met with Torjak, Cael, Richard and the First Enchanter to determine what would be the best course of action. Crouching down, she spread out her map on the ground and found their position.

"I want a shield wall to come in from here," she drew her finger along a street leading to the main gates of the fort, stopping just inside the courtyard. "Archers will come in behind the wall and the mages will bring up the rear. We'll begin with a ranged attack, attempt to cause confusion amongst the enemy, thin the numbers. Then the warriors charge in, rogues sneak up behind and ranged fighters keep picking off foes from a distance."

She looked around to see the others nodding in agreement.

"I'd like to suggest the mages try freezing the enemy and then shattering them with lightning or stone fist spells, anything of the sort. That should take out quite a few with little effort. A few mages should be designated as healers and stay as far back as possible. Spells to enchant weapons with frost, fire, lightning, I want it all. The emissaries, here," she tapped the map where she had seen them last "should be your first target.

"Remind everyone to be wary of friendly fire. Arl Eamon's men, the dwarves, they'll charge in swinging and pay little attention to much beyond their targets. Since you…" she pointed to Cael and Irving "…stand a better chance of seeing them before they see you, please try to be careful.

"Once the courtyard and stairs are cleared, my team will clear the tower, floor by floor, and then we'll summon the army to the roof. Hm. Maybe we should take a few soldiers with us…yes. Richard, have a few of your men ready to go into Fort Drakon with us."

"Of course, Kallian."

She folded her map and stood. "Right then, let's get ready."

Kallian noticed Anders was making every attempt to remain unnoticed amongst the crowd. Being tall, blond, handsome and dressed in rather flashy robes made that nearly impossible, even if he did somehow manage to turn away every time anyone tried to get a better look at him. As the others drifted off, the First Enchanter pulled her aside, trying to find the Tevinter robes in the crowd.

Turning his attention to Kallian, he asked, "Where is Wynne?"

"Irving, I am so sorry, but Wynne is dead. She was run through with an arrow that hit her lung and she was too drained from battle to heal herself. There was nothing we could do." Irving seemed to age before her very eyes, sagging slightly at the news.

"We've left her body in a guardhouse not far from here so we can see to it that she is given a proper funeral pyre. There is more to tell you, but…Could you please tell Petra when the time is right?"

Irving nodded slowly. "Oh dear, poor Wynne. Yes, I will speak to Petra and the others later. That man with you, where did he come from?"

She sighed. "I'm sure you know him. It was incredibly lucky that we ran into him when we did, Irving. You know me well enough to know that I do not care who he is or what he's done, as long as he's willing to work with us to end the Blight. That is my primary concern. Whatever happens when this is over…well, I can't think that far ahead right now, but he isn't really _my_ concern, is he?" _Please, Maker, don't tell me he's a blood mage._

Irving sighed. "Anders. He's escaped from the Tower many times. He's harmless, really, a good man at heart, but he has _never_ adjusted to Circle life and never will. The Templars are ready to take him to Aeonar."

She was relieved. "When I discovered him hiding and demanded he show himself, his first concern was Wynne, Irving, and then he agreed to help us. I didn't have to do much talking or threaten him…"

Irving smiled. "I always liked the lad."

Kallian gave the man's arm a squeeze. "I am sorry about Wynne."

"Thank you, child. Well, I suppose we should get ready." He patted her hand and they parted company to prepare for the fight ahead.

xXx

Battle cries pierced the air followed by the sound of armor clanking and steel clashing as soldiers ran forward to engage the enemy. Kallian found herself appreciating the emotional detachment she had acquired since Wynne's death. It was an odd sensation, knowing she should be feeling something, but not, and yet it was a relief. She was focused, a force to be reckoned with, and she fought with grace and elegance. Anders was beginning to get comfortable fighting with them, and indeed, his strategy of freezing the enemy was brilliant. The mages could hit several darkspawn at a time and move on quickly, making it very easy for front-line soldiers and ranged archers to dispose of the enemy just as quickly. The one thing Kallian had not counted on, however, was the appearance of a dragon thrall.

The beast swooped in, seemingly out of nowhere, and Kallian was reminded of the Korcari Wilds when Alistair had mumbled that swooping was bad. _Indeed_. The dragon landed, shaking the earth and knocking several people to the ground, and began to breathe fire across the courtyard. Surprisingly, confusion did not take hold of the army. People scattered out of the way, ducked under shields, and dove for cover wherever they could find it. Having so many ranged fighters on hand made it easier to recover from the surprise attack. Several people were burned before the beast fell, and many had been sent flying with a flick of its tail, but no one was too badly injured. Once the courtyard was secured, the mages began to heal the wounded. Anders, in particular, was a very gifted healer and Kallian found herself wanting to recruit him. _If he isn't able to make good on his escape, I'll conscript him. Probably save him from death_.

Taking a mouthful of water from her skin, Kallian surveyed the courtyard. Darkspawn bodies were being moved outside the courtyard where they were set on fire. Elves, dwarves and humans alike were working together, and not just to assist the mages with their injured comrades. Groups of people were collecting and redistributing arrows that could be used again, looting weapons and armor from the enemy, sharing food and drink, and gathering what potions, poultices and other useful items they could find. She wondered if she should dare hope this would continue once the Blight was over. In wars past, the races had banded together to defeat their common enemy, but afterward nothing really changed. Perhaps Alistair could usher in a new era of hope and cooperation. She smiled to herself as she waved to her team.

"Let's get on with it, shall we?"

xXx

The entrance to Fort Drakon was eerily quiet. Bodies of darkspawn, guardsman and the occasional servant were scattered across the floor before them. Kallian turned to Leliana and waved a finger around the room, then marked their map. The bard nodded and began looting the dead, drawing a noise of protest from Anders.

Kallian sighed as she began helping Leliana. "Look, you do what you have to do to survive and fund an army. This isn't a game, Anders. This will destroy all of Thedas if we don't stop it. There were only two of us left after Ostagar and we had little more than the armor on our backs and our weapons. Maker, we only had one pair of smalls each for weeks." She stopped and turned to the others. "Which we washed every day. I insisted."

Leliana laughed, her somber mood lightening up a bit.

"As Grey Wardens, we were sworn to do whatever it takes to end the Blight and this…" Kallian waved a hand around the room "is one of the things we've had to do. Maybe now isn't really the best time, but you never know what you'll find. Scavenging during a fight has saved our lives more than once."

She leveled her gaze at him. "Surely you've had to do a thing or two to survive."

Anders felt his cheeks flush. He had, and her motivations were far less self serving than his, certainly. He nodded.

Kallian waved her hand. "Proceed cautiously, everyone."

They crept forward slowly, checking each hallway and room they passed for anyone or anything they could find. Routine searching discovered various poultices, potions, and weapons. More bodies littered the floor. Leliana gasped and stifled a sob as they entered what appeared to be a small prayer room. Two Chantry Sisters had been killed. They quickly shrouded the two women with tapestries and said a prayer for them before moving on.

The group found itself outside a large room in the center of the fort with several raised platforms standing along the outer perimeter. Kallian peered in and counted four ballistae positioned around the room. She was about to step forward when Anders grabbed her wrist, a look of concern on his face.

"I sense magic, _strong_ magic."

She peered into the room again, eyes searching the darkness toward the opposite side.

"There's a genlock conjurer back there," she whispered after a time. "I think they can conjure up anything they like, but the ones I've seen bring demons with them. I don't know."

"You don't know? I thought you were supposed to be the expert." Anders hissed back.

Snorting, Kallian shook her head. "Alistair was six months my senior and hadn't been fully educated with respect to the _order_, never mind little details like _that_. Do you want to run down there and ask the nice genlock who he's planning on bringing to the party?"

"We're all going to die," Anders mumbled.

"Oh cheer up. You've got three beautiful women with you. It could be worse."

"I'd rather we were somewhere cozy having drinks without all the blood and guts, if it's all the same to you. Hm, a hot bath would be nice." His expression became dreamy.

"Anders?" Kallian was drawing her weapons as quietly as she could manage, while signaling to the others that they would be moving in.

"Yes?"

"Stay focused, okay? Move to the back of the line."

He nodded, mumbling "you started it", and slid along the wall until he was behind the women and the Redcliffe soldiers.

Just as she had suspected, as they were halfway through the room, the conjurer stepped out from behind a platform and summoned four demons. In the blink of an eye Anders had hit the genlock with a lightning spell and was following up with a cone of cold. Kallian circled behind it and drove her dagger into the back of its neck, severing its spinal column. The fiery demons it had summoned were a bit more difficult to kill, but they were eventually successful. Cauthrien, Kallian and two of the soldiers with them suffered minor injuries and burns. Anders insisted they take a moment to rest and allow him to heal their wounds properly. They moved into an empty room and closed the door.

Leliana searched the bookshelves and trunks in the room for anything of value while the remaining soldier helped Anders with injury kits, health potions and bandages. Anders operated with efficiency, asking his patients to line up for a quick inspection and then treating those with the worst injuries first.

"I'm sorry, Ser Daniel, but I do not think that eyebrow will grow back. Lovely Ser Cauthrien, there will be no scarring, for which I thank the Maker..." And on he mumbled as he worked on them, one after the other.

When he was finished he drank a bottle of lesser lyrium potion and put the leftover supplies back into the folds of his robes and his backpack. Satisfied they were ready to continue, Kallian led them back out into the hallway.

As they neared what Kallian assumed as the entrance to the second floor, they began to notice more darkspawn bodies littering the floor. Nothing _but_ darkspawn bodies, she realized as they stepped into an open room. Looking up, she couldn't believe her eyes. Sandal Feddic was standing across from her, at the foot of the stairs, surrounded by more darkspawn bodies. He waved cheerfully, causing Leliana to giggle.

"Sandal?" Kallian gasped as she reached his side. "What happened here?"

"Enchantment!" He responded with a huge smile. Both Kallian and Leliana burst into laughter in spite of their circumstances.

Pausing only briefly to wonder where Bodahn was, she asked Sandal if he had any of his father's goods. When he pointed to a nearby trunk, she purchased his entire stock of health and lyrium potions and injury kits.

"Thank you, Sandal. May your ancestors guide you." She planted an impulsive kiss on the dwarf's cheek, asked one of Eamon's soldiers to stay with him, and led the rest of her team up the stairs to the second floor.

xXx

Kallian had thought she would remember the layout of the second floor of Fort Drakon from her imprisonment, but she realized now how silly a notion that had been. She was unconscious going in, and then so sore and exhausted and grateful to see Zevran and Morrigan on the way out she hadn't really noticed much about the place. Now, as they paused for a moment's respite from the seemingly endless groups of darkspawn they had encountered on this floor, she was experiencing doubt in her abilities for the first time in a long time. Cauthrien was of no use to them; she had never been on the second floor of the Fort, apparently. After walking into room after room filled with stray darkspawn, the party was starting to slow down. Even Kallian was feeling the strain is spite of the occasional wave of reassurance she felt.

"Kallian," Cauthrien stepped forward. "Perhaps we should take a few minutes to collect ourselves. We have wounds we should tend to, I am famished and I'm sure you must be as well, we are all thirsty…"

"All right." The Warden dropped to one knee to look through the keyhole of the door next to her and let out a short laugh.

"The kitchen, such as it is."

xXx

They had seated themselves around a table along one wall of the room. The other walls were lined with kegs of water, ale and wine. They had found bread, cheese and a good supply of jams and dried rations in the cupboard. Everyone helped themselves to whatever they could find.

While Anders dug through his pack to check his supply of lyrium and health potions, poultices and the like, Kallian asked the other members of their team how they were doing and passed around dried meat rations. Anders couldn't help noticing she winced every time she leaned forward.

"Here, let me check your ribs," he ordered as he turned to face her. She sucked her breath in sharply when he reached for her left side.

"Really? A woman in your condition should be more careful. Sit up straight."

He started to reach for the buckles of her cuirass, but she was pushing him away, a look of confusion on her face. "Excuse me?" Conversation in the room stopped.

"Would you please stop it? You'll shift the broken bone around. Let me…"

She pushed his hands away again. "What do you mean by 'a woman in your condition'? What _condition_ am I in?"

"Well, you're…I mean..._oh_, you don't know. Of course not, you're only about two weeks along…"

"_What?_"

Anders wished he hadn't said anything. He could only imagine what she must be feeling, finding this out now, _here_.

Leliana clapped her hands together, smiling. "Oh, my dear friend, you are with child? You and Zevran are going to have a baby! How wonderful, non?"

"No! _No_, it's not possible. Grey Wardens…no, it can't be true. Anders?" Kallian reached out and grabbed his arm, her eyes wide.

He took her hand. "I am sorry if this is causing you distress, but it is true. Isn't it a good thing? You said you were getting married…_oh_…" Perhaps it was possible that the father of her child was not the man she was marrying?

Leliana squealed. "_Married?_ Zevran proposed and you didn't tell me?" She fingered the earring adorning Kallian's left earlobe. "I should have known. Oh dear, I am losing my touch."

Kallian's hand drifted to her stomach and as if in response to her unasked questions, warmth spread throughout her belly and a sense of calm came over her once again. It was true, she knew it.

"That's why…oh, _Wynne_." Kallian covered her face with her hands.

"Hey," Anders put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right? I assumed this would be good news…is this bad?"

She nodded and then shook her head as though she didn't know. After a moment she met his gaze. "Zevran is the father, of that there is no doubt. This is just quite…_quite_ unexpected…and a little soon. _Really soon._" She seemed to be counting, absentmindedly tapping her fingers on her leg.

"Three weeks? It's only been three weeks or so," she mumbled to herself in disbelief.

The others were making a show of gathering by the kegs to fill their water skins to give them some privacy.

Anders leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Whatever Wynne did to you…I can sense a…a _shield_ of some sort around your babe. I've never seen anything like it."

"Fade spirit," she whispered back. "Wynne very nearly died saving Petra when the Circle of Magi was threatened, she did die, but a benevolent spirit saved her and sustained her. Perhaps when her lung was punctured and she couldn't heal the damage, she did something to release the spirit into me? I don't know how that's possible, but I can _feel_ it. I thought it could heal her, keep her alive through anything, but…I-I can't believe she made this sacrifice for me. If you hadn't told me…well, if I were to lose the baby now I wouldn't have known. Why didn't she tell me?"

"That was Wynne. Sanctimonious and preachy, but a generous old bird through and through. Maybe she thought you knew or maybe she just wanted to protect the child…"

His voice drifted off and they were silent for a moment before Anders spoke again. "Wow. That's quite amazing. Ah… it is what it is, right? We have a job to do and there's still your rib."

Anders helped Kallian remove her cuirass.

"Okay, sit up straight and hold on to my hand. Breathe in, then out and relax."

She did as she was told and watched as his free hand glowed blue and slipped around her left side. She felt a sharp discomfort there, and with an audible crunching noise, her rib reset and the pain began to ease up. After a few minutes it was hard to tell that anything had happened.

"Better?" He asked.

She ran a hand down her side, nodding. "Honestly, Anders, you're almost better than Wynne at healing. Thank you."

He shrugged. "I've had to heal myself on the run and fast. Necessity has honed my skills. Do try to go easy on that."

Kallian stood, a new sense of purpose filling her. Swallowing, she took a deep breath and spoke. "If anything happens to me today, no one is to tell anyone about this, understood?" Leliana sucked in her breath.

"I am serious, Leliana. If I don't survive, do _not_ tell Zevran he lost a child as well, please. Leli?"

The bard nodded, slowly. "You are right. You have my word."

"Okay, let's find our way to the roof and get this over with."

xXx

After more encounters with several darkspawn, the final being a genlock and an ogre, Kallian and her team finally found the doorway to the tower stairwell that would take them to the roof. After looting numerous trunks in the area to find some of the most potent potions they had found so far, they took a moment to let Anders heal what needed healing. As an afterthought, he cast a mass rejuvenation spell to boost their energy. Kallian instructed Ser Daniel to wait for the rest of the army to ensure they got to the roof without delay, and then made sure the rest of the team was ready.

The climb to the roof would have been exhausting if it weren't for the haste spell Anders had cast on them. When they finally reached the top, after what Kallian thought must have been ten minutes of steady climbing, she stopped, the sounds of battle reaching them through the solid door.

"Thank you, all of you, for what you've done today. Songs will be sung about what has happened here, of that I have no doubt," she smiled at Leliana "and you have played your parts admirably. It has been an honor to fight with you all."

Cauthrien, Anders and Ser Patrick each shook her hand in turn. Leliana kissed her cheek and put a hesitant hand over Kallian's belly, as though she could feel the new life stirring there.

"Maker watch over you both, my friends," she whispered.

"And you, Leliana." Kallian put her hand on the door. "Ready?"

The others nodded their consent in unison. Kallian pushed the door open and they crept out into a small, enclosed area with a short staircase up to the actual roof. She came to eye level with the rooftop and thought nothing she had encountered to this point had truly prepared her for what she saw. As Leliana sounded the call for the rest of their army, Kallian was able to survey most of the scene before them.

Parts of the roof had collapsed, providing the archdemon with a safe area to retreat to. It was there now, a stream of blue flame shooting from its mouth as it roared into the air. Darkspawn were everywhere and numerous guards were scattered about the roof locked in a fight for their very lives. The archdemon hopped up into the air, landing on a closer section of the roof and Kallian could see that Riordan had succeeded in ripping its wing, likely making it impossible for the beast to fly more than a few feet into the air. In that instant, it reached for a guard, snapping the man up in its jaws. From where she stood, Kallian could hear the man's bones break and her stomach churned as his screams were cut off and the beast tossed him into the darkness. Men were set ablaze as the dragon shot fire over the roof top, another soldier was kicked off the tower, screaming, while the beast stepped on another. Kallian tried to focus. She could see two ballistae on raised sections of the roof, with various points of cover between them.

"All right, this is it! You know what we have to do. Leliana, see the ballistae? Try to get to the one on the far side of the roof. Patrick, you get to that one. Remember the freeze bombs I gave you all. If you can get in that close, use them." At her signal, Leliana blended into the shadows and Patrick slipped off in the other direction.

Kallian and Cauthrien stepped out onto the roof into plain sight and the archdemon's head snapped around to look at them. Drawing in a breath, it tipped its head back and roared, sending another stream of flame into the air. The tower seemed to quiver with the force of the beast's bellow. Cauthrien charged to its left, screaming, while Kallian ran to the right, lobbing a freeze bomb at the dragon. The explosion killed two darkspawn and sent a few others flying backwards, but seemed to miss the dragon entirely. Cauthrien swung her sword at its front leg, drawing its attention away from Kallian. She pulled another bomb from her pack and ran toward the beast, tossing the bomb between its legs. As the bomb exploded, she saw a section of the dragon's underbelly turn white. It shrieked with pain and stomped its back legs, sending Kallian stumbling toward the edge of the roof. Grabbing the wall to steady herself, she peered down. If it weren't for the occasional fire on the ground so far below, she wouldn't have been able to see it and she wondered for a moment if it was night. _New plan_, she thought next with a nearly hysterical giggle. _Don't fall off the roof_.

Pushing herself back, Kallian pulled a soulrot bomb out of her pack, followed by a freeze bomb. Taking another running pass at the archdemon, she threw both under its tail and ran a safe distance away to watch the damage. The bombs went off, sending white and green smoke into the air, and the dragon shrieked, smashing its tail back and forth, sweeping some darkspawn off the roof into the darkness. From where she stood, she could see that Leliana and Patrick had reached the ballistae, aimed them, and were winching the bowstrings back. With resounding cracks, both fired nearly simultaneously and hit their target with steel-tipped lances. The archdemon roared as the lances dug into it and spun around, trying to find the source of the weapons. It plucked the lances from its flesh and threw them off the roof. Kallian pulled another bomb from her pack and threw it, watching it bounce under the dragon's belly toward Cauthrien. The woman saw it and turned and ran, narrowly missing injury.

Magic, cold and unfamiliar, had been crackling through the air as emissaries shot fire balls and lightning across the rooftop. As Kallian continued to race back and forth behind and around the archdemon, she began to feel a warmer, more familiar magic buzzing around her. The Circle mages had arrived. She risked a glance toward the stair well and could see more of their allies pouring out onto the roof. Renewed determination surged through her and she continued her campaign of racing around the archdemon, tossing freeze and soulrot bombs at it. When her supply ran out, she pulled a bottle of soulrot potion out of her pack and coated her weapons with it. She was using Duncan's sword and dagger, both forged to kill darkspawn and dragons, but she had added extra runes to each weapon to increase their effectiveness against the beasts. Blades coated, she tapped them together. _Let's do this, Duncan._

"FOR THE GREY WARDENS!" Kallian screamed as she launched herself at an approaching darkspawn.

She lost track of time and was barely aware of those around her. She heard screams of pain mixing with battle cries, felt the blows to her body, felt healing magic wash over her now and then, and was aware of the fade spirit's presence within her, but her ultimate goal was foremost in her mind: kill the archdemon. She followed it as it hopped from one section of the roof to another and watched it tire from the nearly constant bombardment of spells and projectiles that hit it. Blizzard and tempest spells errupted around the beast, and ice formed on its wings. Warriors and rogues darted around it, striking wherever and whenever they could. Soon, it became clear the dragon was becoming too tired and damaged to do much more than hop around. Standing still as chaos raged around her, Kallian gathered her thoughts. Cauthrien was once again drawing the archdemon's attention away and Kallian saw her chance. The archdemon turned its back to her. Adjusting her grip on her weapons, she ran as fast as she could, sprinting up the dragon's tail and back. She used Duncan's dagger to help her climb further up to the beast's head, ripping into its flesh as much as possible. Squeezing the archdemon's neck with her legs, she sheathed her dagger and gripped the pommel of her sword, plunging the blade into the dragon. It stood on its hind legs and began to thrash about, its front legs flailing in vain as it tried to dislodge Kallian from its back.

People were shouting and running away while others rushed forward to renew the attack on the archdemon, and it took Kallian a moment to realize that the dragon was now pitching forward. Sensing it was too late to do anything other than survive the fall, she abandoned her sword and braced herself for the impact. The archdemon's head hit the ground and Kallian found herself on her hands and knees, several feet away on a lower section of the roof. She moved slowly, making sure nothing was broken, and stood. Cauthrien was on the ground near her, a slightly dazed look on her face. The warrior's leg was bent beneath her at an awkward angle.

"Are you okay?" Kallian shouted above the chaos. She was just barely listening for Cauthrien's response, the rest of her attention focused on the archdemon as it struggled to stand.

"Yes, I think so." She was struggling to stand. "Don't do it, Kallian. Let me. You have a child and Zevran to think of..."

"I appreciate that, Cauthrien, but your leg is broken and I do not intend to die today."

She had fixed her sights on a hurlock between her position and the archdemon. A long sword was sticking up out of its chest. Bending low, she began to sprint forward, arms and legs pumping as hard as she could manage. Cauthrien was screaming at her, but she paid no attention. Reaching out to grab the sword, she held it in front of her until she was right in front of the archdemon. As it raised its head, she pushed the sword up into the soft flesh of its neck and kept running until she was forced to fall to her knees. Hot blood poured out of the beast, drenching her. Keeping her grip on the sword, she pulled it back out of the dragon and turned to face it. Archdemon and Grey Warden faced each other and then she was at its head, sword held high. Kallian brought the weapon back down and drove it into the beast's head, the shock of steel hitting the stone floor reverberating up the blade and into her arms. She tried to let go, but couldn't, and a moment of panic washed over her. As she continued to struggle with the blade, a beam of incredibly bright light shot up from the beast's head, along her sword and hands and up into the sky and then it felt as though the whole world exploded. A ring of light expanded across the horizon and she was flying through the air again. Darkness closed in on Kallian. _Zevran, my love, be well..._And then there was nothing_._

* * *

**A/N:** Whew! This one was a doozy. My gratitude goes out to Bioware for letting me play with their toys and to everyone who keeps reading. Thank you for adding this story to your favorites/alerts lists. I hope you will review/comment, to let me know what you like, what you hate, what you think is highly unlikely...praise or criticism, I like knowing what you think! A shout out to Zevgirl, TMcGee, Zute and EvaGalana. All are authors on this site who have encouraged and inspired me. Read their stuff!

Normally obsessive about such things, I think I've looked at this too many times to see the errors anymore, so if you find some please let me know. Cheers, Biff


	32. Recovery

**Recovery**

Kallian found herself sitting in a large room, trying to remember what had happened. She tried to recall how she had come to be on the settee in this room, but couldn't. It was as though nothing had existed before she opened her eyes and yet the thought was not disturbing. She wondered if she should be concerned, wondered what had happened to the others, but she felt at peace. The door opened and Wynne walked in with a tray in her hands.

"Ah, you're awake. Now we can talk."

She sat down next to Kallian, placed the tray on the table in front of them, and poured them each a cup of tea from a pot on the tray.

Handing the cup to Kallian, Wynne turned to her and smiled. "Do you know where you are?"

"I…think we're…in the Fade?" Colours were muted, there was a strange quality to the air and as she looked around she noticed the bookcases were standing at odd angles, some on only one or two corners. Looking down, she realized the settee wasn't actually sitting on the floor at all, and was floating just above it.

Wynne nodded. "Yes."

"Why are we here?" Kallian asked, something pulling at her memory.

"I am dead and you, my child, are unconscious, but you should not linger here much longer."

Tears rolled down Kallian's cheeks as the memory fell into place. "Why, Wynne? Why did you do it?"

"My body was too damaged to carry on much longer, but you," she smiled as she wiped the Warden's cheek, "had an important task ahead of you, and so much more to live for."

Kallian's hand drifted to her belly, another memory coming back to her. "I'm pregnant," she whispered.

"And you have love, Kallian. He is waiting for you, your assassin."

"How can I be pregnant, Wynne? Grey Wardens…"

"Zevran is not a Warden, you were not taking precautions, and these things _can_ happen. The timing of your affair was…well, whether you see it as good or bad, the timing was right."

A look of concern was spreading across Kallian's face. "Will Zevran still want me? This isn't quite what he signed up for."

Wynne laughed. "Oh, child, I know I was hard on him, but you were right. He is a good man at heart. He did not ask you to marry him because he felt obliged to or because he thought he may never see you again. He wishes to be bonded to you. You will see this when you recover."

"When?" It did not occur to Kallian to question how Wynne knew Zevran had proposed; she longed to see him.

Wynne pointed to the door. "Petra has been keeping you asleep while she healed your broken bones and other injuries, but she has lifted the enchantment. They are waiting for you, Kallian, Zevran and your friends."

The Warden was hesitant. "I…entered into an agreement with Morrigan, and I…"

"Worry about the consequences? And so you should, you and Alistair both," Wynne said gently.

Kallian shuddered, not quite sure what to make of Wynne's comment. "Morrigan must have known I was pregnant. The morning we left for Denerim, she acted strangely. Will my child be okay?"

"Are you asking what will come of its contact with the archdemon? That, I do not know. You may wish to take precautions when he is born, have a nursemaid to feed him, lest your milk be tainted."

"He?"

Wynne shook her head, a smile pulling at her mouth. "I did not mean to spoil the surprise, but yes, you carry a boy."

Kallian relaxed for a moment and took a sip of tea. As she did, her brow wrinkled with confusion and she sniffed the air.

"What is it?" Wynne asked.

The Warden looked around the room and put her tea down. "I thought I…smelled roses."

She stood and took a few steps around the room, listening, and then looked at her hands with a frown. She bent her head to her shoulder as though something was tickling her ear. Wynne stood and went to her side, reaching out to hold her hands.

"I think you are ready, my dear. Before you go, I want you to know how proud, _infinitely_ proud, I am to have called you friend. For someone so young to have done what you have done is quite the accomplishment. The people of Ferelden will call you a hero, child, and you will yet have more opportunities to earn that title and the respect that comes with it. Trust your instincts."

Wynne planted a motherly kiss on Kallian's forehead and the women embraced.

"I will miss you, Wynne. Thank you _so much_ for all you have done for us, and for me."

They stood and looked at each other for a moment longer and then Kallian turned to face the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it and stepped into the hallway beyond.

xXx

Shianni sat beside Kallian's bed, wiping her cousin's forehead with a damp cloth. Zevran was stretched out beside Kallian, sleeping with one arm under his head, the other draped over her body. Shianni smiled sadly at them both and stood up to stretch. It was early in the afternoon and the usual visitors would be around soon. Zevran had bathed Kallian and then massaged her body with rose-scented oil. They dressed her in a clean sleeping shift, Shianni helped him braid her cousin's hair and then she had insisted that he try to sleep. She hadn't thought he would do it, but after he held Kallian's hands and murmured into her ear for a while, exhaustion won.

Four days. It had been four days and the man had not left Kallian's side. Eating, bathing, sleeping, relieving himself…If he had to move too far from her side, he wouldn't do it. The normally fastidious elf was so focused on Kallian, nothing else mattered to him. Shianni couldn't bear to think it, but she wondered what would happen to him if Kallian didn't wake up soon. She looked back at the two of them and sucked in her breath. Stepping closer to the bed, she gasped and reached over to shake Zevran's shoulder.

"What? What it is?" He was sitting upright in the blink of an eye, dragging his hands through his tangled hair.

"Look!" Shianni pointed to Kallian's face.

A tear had slipped out of the corner of her eye and was rolling down her cheek to her ear. Zevran brushed it away and took Kallian's face in his hands.

"I'll get Petra and the others," Shianni said as she ran from the room.

Zevran stared at Kallian and leaned in to kiss her lips. "Ti amo, mia amata. Wake up," he whispered across her mouth.

He sat in Shianni's chair and rested his head on Kallian's chest, listening to her heart beating. He desperately hoped it wasn't his imagination, but it seemed stronger now.

xXx

Dim light pierced the darkness and she could hear noises. Footsteps, the rustling of fabric, breathing.

_My chest feels so…heavy…something heavy_…_get off_"…me."

Zevran sat upright, eyes fixed on Kallian's face. "Amata?" he whispered, clasping her hand to his chest. "Petra!"

The mage appeared at his side. "She spoke, I swear it."

He stood up, giving Kallian's hand to Petra, and stepped aside. The mage bent over Kallian, ear close to her mouth, fingers on her wrist.

"I told you she would pull through, my friend." Alistair's voice, full of emotion, tore through Kallian's head. "Send for Cyrion, he's in his workshop." The sound of someone running off pounded in her ears.

"Zev…" Kallian's voice sounded foreign to her and the act of trying to force it out of her throat was almost painful.

More noise, a shuffling sound this time, and then someone took her other hand. "You called?"

"…sound funny…"

"He is crying, cousin." Shianni's voice, gentle and reassuring, came from nearby. "You have been bed ridden for four days and this is the first real sign we've had that you would wake up."

"Zev…" She struggled to open her eyes.

Zevran stifled a sob and pressed her fingers to his mouth. "I am here, amata."

He was staring back at her, tears rolling down his face. He had circles under his eyes, his hair was dull and tangled, his clothes were rumpled, and he looked years older than he had just days ago when they had parted at the city gates. As terrible as he looked, she couldn't think of anything or anyone else she'd rather see.

"…sight for sore eyes…" she mumbled, closing them again.

Zevran cupped her cheek with his hand. "And so are you, mia cara."

"Poor nug-rutter," Oghren was also in the room.

"…thirsty…" She heard a giggle. Leliana.

Petra pressed a damp cloth to her lips, letting water trickle into her mouth. "You are weak, but you'll be all right now…"

"Sleepy…" Kallian drifted back into unconsciousness.

xXx

Hours later, she woke again. Zevran was seated at her bedside, asleep. He had obviously bathed and changed his clothes, and was looking much better than he had earlier. His head was tipped back, golden hair unbound and lying across his face, his hands resting on a book in his lap. It was night, from what she could see of the sky through her window. A fire was burning in the hearth and a tray of food was on a nearby table. Her stomach grumbled and Zevran stirred.

"Amata." He leaned forward and brushed his finger tips across her cheek. "Let me sit you up so you can have something to drink, yes? There is some soup as well."

"Please."

Zevran moved her with great care, slipping pillows under her back and shoulders. She watched him as he poured her a goblet of water, prepared a trencher of soup for her, and put it all on a tray. Walking to the other side of the bed, he put the tray down and sat beside her. He held the goblet to her lips so she could drink. After a few sips she nodded.

"Thank you."

Putting the goblet down, Zevran turned to face her again. "It will take time for you to regain your strength, but Petra is quite talented and has done a remarkable…what is it, mia cara?"

She was staring at him, tears rolling down her face. "I'm just so happy to see you again, Zev. I…I'm…"

He put a finger to her lips. "I know. Petra told me you are carrying our child. I must admit I was surprised, given what you told me, but I have lived a charmed life, as you know. I am lucky."

"You don't mind?"

Zevran placed one hand on her belly and pressed her hand to his heart with the other. "You have come back to me, and with this _gift_, amata. I would say I do not mind at all. Imagine it, a little Zev or Kallian. With parents such as us, the babe is bound to be beautiful."

"Handsome," she corrected him. "He will be handsome."

Zevran's eye widened. "A boy? How could you know this so soon?"

"Wynne told me, in the Fade. She had sensed, earlier in the battle, that I was pregnant, and when she was..." Kallian's throat constricted and she paused for a moment.

"I don't know how she did it, but the Fade spirit that was sustaining her is within me, now. It protected our child during the battle."

Zevran looked into her eyes, a sad smile on his face. After a moment, he leaned forward and kissed her gently. "I owe her a debt of gratitude. Ah, I shall miss her magical bosom," he sighed.

Snorting, Kallian tried to slap his arm, but couldn't work up the strength to do more than flap her hand at him. Laughing, Zevran reached for the soup.

"Wait, does Papae know?"

"He does not. Only Shianni and Alistair were here when Petra told me you were with child and we agreed we would not tell anyone else until it was certain you would recover. Besides, it is your news to tell and I must speak with him, yes?"

She felt a fluttering in her stomach, both nervous and excited by the thought. "Leliana, Cauthrien and two of Eamon's soldiers know."

Zevran raised an eyebrow. "If you knew, why didn't you tell me?"

Kallian laughed. "I didn't, I'm only…what…three weeks along!" Lowering her voice, she told Zevran about meeting Anders and how he had mentioned it while trying to heal her broken rib.

"I hope he's okay," she mused. Zevran made a noise that sounded vaguely disapproving. "What?"

"Hm. Alistair mentioned that a Templar, a woman named Ser Rylock, arrived today, asking to speak to you. It might be about your Anders."

"Yeah, that would be too much of a coincidence otherwise. Ugh. Try to put her off a while longer."

Nodding, Zevran reached for the soup. "Come, let's see if you can eat something before you fall asleep again."

Indeed, she fell asleep after only a few mouthfuls.

xXx

And so it was for another two days. Each time she awoke, she stayed so longer and she was able to eat and drink more with each attempt. Friends and family spent time with her, helping her exercise her arms and legs, telling her stories of the battle and the city's recovery. Shianni went into great detail about how attentive Zevran had been, on a day when she had convinced him to leave the room. On the morning of her seventh day in the infirmary, Kallian pulled herself into a sitting position at dawn's first light. Zevran was nearby, asleep on the cot Alistair had insisted be set up for him, his blond hair neatly held back from his face with braids. He looked far more like himself than he had when she first opened her eyes and found herself staring at him. He had had a haunted look about him then.

Not wanting to wake him, Kallian moved as quietly as she could and reached for the water at her bedside. She drank deeply and set it aside, snuggling back down into the covers. She watched him sleep, her hand drifting to her belly. It was still a bit hard to believe that they had won, the archdemon was dead and she was going to be a mother, a wife. When she thought about it, it seemed quite unreal that after all this time, it was over, but there it was. They had done it, Morrigan's ritual had worked, and she had survived. She vaguely remembered that during one visit, Alistair had hinted this might not go unnoticed by other members of the Grey Warden order, but she would have to cross that bridge when she got to it. What the future held for her as a Grey Warden remained to be seen, but the order would need to be rebuilt.

Zevran stirred, drawing an arm up to cover his eyes, and mumbled. Kallian thought she heard him say her name, but he settled and was quiet. A smile pulled at her lips. Petra had caught them kissing the night before and scolded Zevran, saying Kallian wasn't strong enough for such things yet. Kallian wasn't sure how true that was. She wanted to be fully reunited with him, so much so that she ached with longing, but she hadn't been able to stand without assistance yet, never mind walk, and she didn't want to disturb him.

She recalled his final words to her before she left him at Denerim's gates that night, when she had refused to take him with her to Fort Drakon in search of the archdemon.

"_Please understand, Zev. I don't want to put you in that kind of danger."_

_Zevran laughed gently, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "Oh, now you worry about my health? In truth, for the chance to be by your side I would storm the gates of the dark city itself, never doubt it."_

_Kallian stepped closer, holding his hands over her heart. "I love you, Zevran Arainai, and I have every intention of returning to your side to be your wife."_

"_Cruel to the end," he breathed into her mouth as he leaned in to kiss her. "Trying to assassinate you was the best thing that ever happened to me."_

She watched him sleep until her eyelids were too heavy to keep open. After so many months of barely sleeping more than a few hours a day, all this undisturbed sleep was a gift from the Maker Himself.

xXx

A while later, the sound of voices woke her. Alistair and Zevran were at the door, shaking hands, slapping each other on the back, and then Zevran was gone.

"I see you are awake, my friend." Alistair helped her into a sitting position, putting pillows behind her back. "You look very well indeed for someone who should be dead, Sister. How are you feeling?"

"I am on the mend, Alistair. Where has Zevran gone?"

"Oh, he had some errands to run." He pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down.

He was clean shaven, his hair had been trimmed, and he was wearing a simple shirt, doublet and leggings, which he had tucked into leather boots. She didn't think she had ever seen him looking so relaxed.

"I have something for you." Alistair held out a key tied to a bright red ribbon. "Everyone has one. Save for Morrigan, of course…" his voice trailed off.

"No sign of her?"

"No. Zevran says she turned into a raven and flew off moments after the explosion, and no one has seen her since. I am tempted…but it's best to leave some things well enough alone, right?"

"Right. So what's the key for?"

"It's to the Grey Warden compound, next door. It only sustained a minor amount of damage during the battle, surprisingly, and I found a good team of stone masons who could start the repairs right away. Some staff are putting the finishing touches on it today and you, Zevran and Lucius are being moved there tomorrow. Leliana, Oghren and Sten are there now. Cauthrien is staying here at the Palace. Anora wanted that."

"Maker's breath, Lucius," she gasped. "I can't believe I haven't asked about him and the others before now. How is Anora, Cauthrien, the others?"

Alistair laughed and leaned sideways to put his elbow on the bed. "Lucius is very anxious to see you again, but he seems to be keeping himself occupied with the female mabari in the kennels. I think we might have some puppies on the way. Sten spends quite a bit of time with him, getting him out for exercise. I think they hunt together as well."

Kallian smiled, remembering Sten having conversations with Lucius about what it meant to be a warrior.

Alistair's face took on a softer expression as he continued. "Anora is…something else. She had decided to stay with Isolde and Connor after we left Denerim, and according to one of the guards, it was Anora who barricaded the estate when the city guard raised the alarm. She armed herself and led everyone into the Arl's underground safe room where they waited out the attack. If you ask her about it, she'll just say it was luck that she happened to be in the right place at the right time." He smiled, a faint blush creeping up his neck.

"Ooh, have you two…gotten close?" Kallian poked him in the arm.

"Maaaybe. She was really happy to see me when we finally found them." Alistair left it at that, clearing his throat as he tried to look nonchalant.

"I've talked to Cauthrien, by the way. I didn't get into the details, just said that we took advantage of an opportunity that had been presented to us…a way for us to live and kill the archdemon..." he waved his hand in the air.

He reported on the battles at the city gates, their losses, and told her what they had seen when she killed the archdemon. "We could feel the explosion from the gates, Kallian. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be there."

"I don't remember, honestly. I was scared that maybe the ritual hadn't worked, and I remember bright light, thinking of Zev...that's about it."

"The darkspawn stopped fighting almost immediately and ran. I thought to look for Morrigan, but she was already gone, and then, slowly, people started coming out of the Palace district."

He paused for a moment and looked at her. "We waited and waited for you to come, but you didn't. We were afraid you had been killed, but then Cauthrien was carried by, babbling that she couldn't understand how you'd survived. She'd seen several mages working on you and a few other seriously injured people.

"We went up the tower, the rest of us. Petra and Irving were still trying to stabilize you so you could be moved. While we waited, we collected vials of blood from the archdemon, enough scales to make several sets of armor, and anything else we could find. I thought Zevran was going to go out of his mind. I've never seen him so…distressed.

"Do you know we couldn't convince him to as much as bathe until after you'd first awoken? _Four days_, Kallian, and even then I had to bring a basin in for him. When have you known him to go half a day without cleaning himself?"

She smiled. "I'm pregnant."

"Yeah, that was a surprise. But I suppose there's hope I'll actually be able to provide an heir, right?" He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Congratulations."

"You and Anora would have beautiful children," Kallian mused.

Alistair blushed a deep red and busied himself with preparing a plate of bread and cheese. "Eat something, would you?"

xXx

Holding a bottle of wine and a leather bag in one hand, Zevran raised the other to knock on the door of the suite of rooms at the Palace where Cyrion, Shianni and Soris were living. Alistair had insisted that the Hero of Ferelden's family be allowed to live near her while she recovered, especially since their house had eventually collapsed during the siege. Alistair had also turned one of the ground floor training rooms into a workshop where Cyrion could continue to ply his trade building furniture, starting with a commission to repair or replace damaged furniture at the Palace and Arl Eamon's estate. Shianni opened the door.

"Good afternoon, Zev." Shianni stepped back to admit him into a large sitting room. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and closed the door behind him.

"How is your uncle?" He returned the kiss and handed her the bottle of wine.

"He is much better now that Kalli is awake. We all are. What have you got there?" she asked, pointing to the leather bag he held. "It looks heavy."

"It is. I have something to discuss with Cyrion." As he said it, Kallian's father stepped out of one of the rooms that lined the central sitting room. Zevran and Shianni exchanged a knowing look and she nodded with a smile.

Seeing Zevran, Cyrion hurried over and shook the man's hand. "It is good to see you again, Zev. Please, come sit. How is Kallian?" He waved to a set of chairs near the fireplace and they sat.

"She continues to regain her strength and Petra has said we can move her into the compound tomorrow."

Shianni busied herself with pouring wine for Zevran and Cyrion and then announced she had errands to run and slipped out.

"So. What brings you here today, Zev?"

Zevran took a sip of wine and collected his thoughts. What he intended to do had seemed such a simple thing; people did it all the time. But this was the first time in his twenty eight years that he had ever thought of asking a father for permission to marry his daughter and he had to admit he was nervous.

Clearing his throat, he looked up at Cyrion. "Your daughter has come to mean a great deal to me. She spared my life when she was within her rights to kill me and she presented me with an opportunity to change the course of my life. In her company, I have been able to do good things and she has gifted me with her love and acceptance."

He picked up the leather bag he brought with him and placed it on the table in front of Cyrion. "While this is perhaps unusual, given the circumstances, I would like to follow tradition and present you with this dowry. I am asking for your permission to ask Kallian to be my wife."

Cyrion reached for the bag, surprised to find it weighed about two stone, and peered inside. He caught his breath and looked back to Zevran, eyes wide.

"What is this?"

"In our travels, Kallian would find things that she thought her companions might like and she would give them to us. The gold and silver bars, she gave to me. I have dragged them back and forth across Ferelden ever since. We have not had the easiest life these past months, but the Wardens have provided for us and I have not wanted for much. There was a time when I thought I would want to leave Ferelden, but I believe this," he gestured toward Cyrion, "is the best use for them now. Your daughter is worth more to me than anything I could possibly acquire with this money, and I shall go where she goes, for as long as she will have me."

Cyrion stared into the bag, his eyes wet with tears. Finally, he spoke. "My daughter's happiness is all that matters to me in this world. When she was forced to leave us to join the Grey Wardens, or stay and pay for another man's crimes...Well, I wondered if she would ever be truly happy and certainly thought I may never see her again."

Putting the bag down again, he leaned forward. "What about the Crows? Are they still a danger to you? To Kallian?"

Zevran sighed and nodded to acknowledge Cyrion's concern. "To me, perhaps. I do not believe the Crows will come after Kallian again, but I promise you, Cyrion, that I will always protect her."

The man nodded slowly. "I know that she is happy with you and I have seen your devotion to her. You may ask Kallian to marry you. I suspect you already have, but I appreciate the gesture. This dowry is..._generous_. It will help our community begin to recover."

Trying not to let his relief show, Zevran stood and shook Cyrion's hand. "Thank you, Cyrion. I shall take my leave of you for now, but we will see you later, yes? The good King Alistair has a dinner planned for us all."

After chatting briefly about the king and Kallian's other companions, Zevran stepped out into the hallway and continued with his errands. He had appointments with a gold smith and the Revered Mother of the Denerim Chantry.

xXx

"Kallian, what are you doing?" Zevran demanded when he entered her room. She was sitting in the middle of the room, trying to pull herself up off the floor with a chair.

"I am sick of being in bed, Zev."

"It has been three days," he sighed, going to her side to help her stand.

"Seven," she replied with a pout.

"And you were mostly unconscious all that time."

"Zevran, I am not a child, I..." she turned to face him and felt her legs failing her.

Zevran caught her and swept her up into his arms with a grin. "You were saying?"

Kallian slipped her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled his ear, breathing in his scent. "Mm, that I am a woman with needs?"

He settled her onto her bed and sat beside her after he had tucked the covers around her, a moderately stern look on his face. "Am I correct in assuming that you tried to walk to that chair and fell down?"

When she didn't respond and instead folded her arms across her chest and pursed her lips, he pulled her into an embrace and whispered into her ear. "You must be patient, Kallian. It will take time for you to gain your strength and walk again. Not much more, I think, but we must wait. I would not want to hurt you or our son...or be turned into a toad."

"Pfft. Petra cannot turn you into a toad and relations with me will not harm the child." She reached up to stroke his ear while slipping her other hand into the waist of his leggings. "She won't be back for a while..."

"You, my dear, are a wicked little temptress."

He leaned in a kissed her, gently taking her mouth with his tongue, hands sliding into her hair. Kallian moaned, shifting beneath him, kissing him passionately. Pulling back, Zevran held her face and simply looked at her for a moment before embracing her again. Stroking her hair, he whispered 'ti amo, ti amo' into her ear. She sighed and hugged him back.

"I know what you're doing," she mumbled as she settled her head on his chest.

"Oh?" There was no response. He waited a moment longer before moving to get a better look at Kallian. She was asleep once again, a peaceful expression on her face.

Zevran smiled. "Rest, mia cara. There will be time for more carnal delights soon."

* * *

**A/N:** And there it is, a series of less dramatic events in the life of my elven Warden. There will be more, of course, but updates may take me a bit longer to post from here on in as I am keeping busy with life and beta reading. FYI, a standard ingot of gold weighs about 28 pounds, or two stone, more or less.

FF has been quite buggy the past few days and I am not sure all of my edits have stuck. If you notice anything missing/out of place/et cetera, please let me know either in a review or PM.

Thanks to Bioware and everyone who is following along. Thank you for your comments and for adding me/my story to your alerts/favorites lists. Please do feel free to comment/review. It's good to know people are reading and have an opinion about what I'm writing! Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers. Have some turkey for me…I got ham for Thanksgiving. Who does that? Cheers, Biff


	33. The Hero of Ferelden

**The Hero of Ferelden**

During the first week of her recovery, Kallian's companions, with the help of Arl Eamon's staff, moved their armor, weaponry, supplies and personal effects to the Grey Warden compound. Alistair took up residence in Cailan's suite in the palace and Anora returned to her own rooms there.

Kallian and Zevran were moved into the master suite of the Warden Compound. It was quite large and contained a sitting room with a table and two chairs, a desk, several bookshelves, and a pair of overstuffed chairs by a fireplace. The fireplace opened into the bedroom as well, something Kallian had never seen before. There was a private bath off to the left with its own small fireplace for heating water, and the bedroom ran the full length of the suite, with a vanity and dressing screen at one end and a large bed and two end tables at the other. Wardrobes, armor racks, and a small cot lined the inner wall of the bedroom; the outer wall had two windows which could be opened inward. A bed of fresh hay and wolf pelts was set in a corner of the sitting room for Lucius. Their other companions were staying in the smaller senior wardens' quarters in the same building.

Kallian spent another week confined to her quarters with prescribed visiting hours and periods of exercise. As the week progressed, it became clear that the Warden did not appreciate the rest. Kallian tried to keep her feelings to herself, but it grated on her nerves that she was being kept sequestered, unable to plan her wedding, help clean up the city or assist with the preparations for Alistair's coronation and official betrothal. She was feeling at odds with herself. She was perfectly happy the Blight was over and to have the luxury of a roof over her head. She had clean, dry clothes to put on each day, as many meals as she needed, the opportunity to bathe whenever she wished, and a warm, dry bed to sleep in at night. For these things, she was very grateful. Another part of her, however, was having difficulty dealing with the rather sudden lack of fighting, travelling, and constant struggling with the elements. To add to her frustration, Zevran had not been admitted back to her bed and was still sleeping apart from her. There was, for the moment, nothing for her to do but get well, and so Kallian pushed herself to get back on her feet. She was walking short distances unaided within a week of regaining consciousness.

It was early evening on their seventh day at the compound, and as was their routine, Zevran had brought supper into the sitting room. Kallian sat at the table, fidgeting with her napkin and staring into the fire while he dished out trenchers of lamb stew and cut chunks of bread, cheese and apple for them.

"The Hero of Ferelden?" Kallian groaned, finally bringing her attention back to Zevran.

"Yes," Zevran replied. "The Hero of Ferelden. It is not very original, I realize. Alistair came up with it."

"Pfft. Maker forgive me, but I might just kill him."

Zevran chuckled as he placed their meal on the table and settled himself beside her, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Her color was excellent and she had more energy this evening than she had the previous evening, although given the way she kept drifting in and out of her own thoughts and was chewing on her lower lip, she was obviously preoccupied. He believed she was ready to get back into a more normal routine, if only Petra would declare it so. The mage had arrived to check on Kallian and was now stoking the fire while observing the young woman. Kallian ate a few mouthfuls of stew before looking at her.

"Petra, do you think I am well enough to resume relations with Zevran?" she asked bluntly.

The mage laughed. "We shall discuss that tomorrow morning, Kallian," Petra said as she ducked out of the room.

"Ooh!" Kallian shouted, throwing her napkin at the door as it closed. "This is ridiculous…"

Zevran silenced her with a kiss. "Shh, mia amata. Save that feistiness for later, mmm?"

"Mmmf," Kallian whimpered as he pulled away from her. "_Fine_."

She continued to eat without saying another word, her appetite back in full force, but Zevran could tell she was frustrated. It had been this way for days now, and she was growing more irritable. They finished their dinner in silence and while he placed their tray on a table out in the hall, Kallian moved to a chair by the fire. He joined her, watching her as she stared into the flames, one hand idly scratching behind Lucius' ears.

"You have something you wish to say, yes?" he finally prodded her.

"I am sick of this," she mumbled.

Lucius stood and padded over to his bed, settling down and looking at Zevran as though he expected the man to fix the situation.

"Sick of what, mia cara?"

She stood and wrapped her arms around herself, moving closer to the hearth, the words rushing out of her.

"Of _this_…this sitting around, _waiting_. There is nothing _wrong_ with me, I am not _broken_, I feel absolutely _useless_, and I…I need to…to _do_ something, to get back to my _life_. I am sick of you sleeping apart from me, I want _us_ back, I need to be with you, Zev, I need to go out, I want to help clean up the alienage, the city, plan our wedding, …" Her eyes were glistening with tears and she tried to look away, but Zevran was at her side quickly, cupping her face in his hands.

He understood, but hadn't realized how upset she had become. Perhaps if they had told her sooner of the extent of her injuries, she would understand why they were being so cautious with her recovery. Zevran looked deep into her eyes, and the pain she saw in his hurt her, as though someone had reached into her chest and gripped her heart. She swallowed and bit her lip, letting him speak.

"Mia amata, I think I know how you feel. I have been injured and confined to bed rest. It can be frustrating. But you woke up to find yourself nearly healed and whole, you did not see yourself on the top of Fort Drakon, as we did.

"The explosion threw you across the roof into a wall. It is a miracle you were not killed, or your neck and back broken. You had a fractured skull, massive concussion, bruised spine, broken ribs, a broken arm, fractures in both your legs, and cuts and bruises everywhere, not to mention internal injuries. Before you awoke, several mages worked day and night to heal you."

He paused as his throat tightened up and he took Kallian's hands in his. "I thought you were dead. When Irving and Petra told us you were alive…and later that you carry our child…" he shook his head. "I want to be certain that you are truly whole and well, we all do. If we have been too cautious it is only because we care for you. I see I misjudged how this period of rest would sit with you and I am sorry for that."

Kallian pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. "No, I didn't realize…I apologise."

Her chin quivered when she looked back up at Zevran and his resolve began to crumble. He had promised himself he would follow Petra's guidance, but keeping his distance from Kallian had been difficult. She seemed well and healthy, she was clearly regaining her strength, and she was acting and looking like her normal self…

"I don't care what Petra says, Zev. Please come to bed, _our_ bed, with me." When he didn't reply right away, she whispered, "Zev?" sounding uncertain.

Shaking himself out of his reverie with a grin, Zevran folded his arms around her, his lips meeting hers with a tender passion. Sighing with relief and pleasure, Kallian pressed her body against his. Running her hands up into his hair, she returned his kiss, her tongue gently teasing his, her teeth tugging on his lip. They pulled back from each other for a moment, eyes meeting, before he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Setting her down on the bed, he stepped back to undress, but her hands caught his.

"Let me," she whispered as she stood.

Kallian slipped her hands under the hem of his tunic and pushed it up and over his head, her touch light and teasing as she did so. Pulling it off his arms, she tossed it aside and kissed his chest, gently dragging her nails across his flesh. Turning her attention to his breeches, she unfastened them and pushed them off his hips and down his legs, watching his face all the while. Her eyes were full of love and desire, her skin flush, and she licked her lips hungrily. Kallian stood and touched him with trembling hands, brushing them across his chest, up to his shoulders and down his arms. Grasping his hands, she brought them to her lips.

"I grant you, I would have fallen asleep had you tried to bed me the first few days I was awake, you may even have injured me, I don't know. But these last few days have been terrible. To not even be able to enjoy the closeness of your company in our bed at night…"

Zevran slipped his hands under her robe and pushed it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Reaching for the laces of her nightdress, he smiled.

"I have endured pain in my life, but the past two weeks…" he shook his head as he pulled her nightdress off and dropped it. "Let us promise not to do that again, hmm?"

"No more dragons…" he stepped closer to her, running a hand up into her hair to expose an ear. "No more rooftop battles…" he kissed the tip of her ear and ran his tongue down its edge. "No more near-death experiences…" he knelt and kissed her belly, resting his cheek there, one hand at the small of her back, the other on her hip. "No more injuries requiring abstinence…"

He paused and then spoke to her stomach. "Hello my little one."

Zevran heard Kallian gasp and let out a soft laugh, running her fingers through his hair, murmuring his name. Imagining the life that grew within her, knowing they had created it, _him_, overwhelmed Zevran with love for her. Standing, he lifted Kallian and laid her on the bed. Her breathing quickened as he settled himself next to her, propped up on one arm so he could see all of her, and continued to kiss her. With his free hand he fondled her breasts, gently rolling each nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Kallian arched her back and moaned.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, amata?" he whispered into her mouth.

"Maker help me, Zevran Arainai, if you don't…mmmf. Mmhmm."

He pressed his mouth to hers and slid his hand between her legs, fingers sliding into her easily. "Ah, you are more than ready, I see. Have I told you lately how lovely you are?" Grinning as she began to protest once again, he pressed a knee between her legs.

"Ah, mia cara, so impatient."

Their period of abstinence had done much to whet her appetite and fuel her lust. It barely took any time at all for her to fall into the throes of an orgasm once he began to caress her bud with his tongue. As Kallian's body began to relax again, he left a trail of wet kisses along her torso and up to her mouth, letting her taste herself on his lips. Sliding his arms under her shoulders to brace himself, he pushed his erection into her slowly. The sensation was almost too much for him to bear and he briefly wondered how he had managed to stay away from her for so long. She was warm and tight, moaning with pleasure, her hips pressing up to his as he moved within her.

"Oh, how I have missed the pleasure of your company," he growled into her ear, hot breath tickling and sending a shiver down her back.

Kallian ran her hands over Zevran's shoulders, up into his hair and down his back, unable to get enough of him. This was what she had wanted, _needed_, for days now. The feel of his body against hers, his touch, his smell, the way his hair brushed across her face, the look and feel of his muscles rippling beneath his skin as he moved – it was intoxicating and she wanted to drink it in and never be sober again. Zevran delighted in the sounds she made, soft moans, sighs, cries to the Maker, all inciting his passions. Before long another wave of pleasure swept over Kallian and she lost herself in it, shouting out his name and arching up off the bed. Zevran could not hold himself back and shuddered against her, face buried in the cloud of curls at her shoulder as he spilled his seed into her and collapsed by her side.

She giggled softly as they clung to each other, firelight and shadows dancing around the room. A new sensation was pulsing through her. Happiness, pleasure, but not her own. She drew Zevran's hand to her abdomen.

"I don't think our friend the Fade spirit has ever experienced anything quite like that," she whispered with a laugh.

"Mmm. I hope it doesn't mind, because I plan on doing that quite a bit."

"I wouldn't care if it did, Zev. Zev?"

"Mm?"

"Ti amo."

"Ti amo, e il mio bambino."

Kallian fell asleep with a smile on her face.

xXx

A variety of sounds greeted Kallian when she awoke in the morning, the main being Zevran grumbling to himself that he should have locked the door. Lucius was somewhere nearby grinding his teeth on a bone, someone was setting the table, someone else was trying to stoke the fire and yet another person was knocking on the door to their bedroom. Kallian made to move, but Zevran pulled her back to his chest and hid his face in her hair.

"Maybe they will go away if we ignore them," he groaned loudly enough for his voice to carry through the fireplace.

"I heard that," came Petra's curt reply.

Kallian's eyes flew open and she pulled the sheets to her chin. "Petra! Give us a min..."

The door opened and the mage walked in, heading straight for the nearest window. The smells of porridge, coffee and bread wafted into the room with her. Pulling the curtains back to allow the morning sun in, she turned to the bed.

"Petra, I can explain…" Kallian began again, feeling as though they had been caught doing something wrong.

"Please. It doesn't take a scholar to figure out what happened here last night. I am just down the hall, remember. Feeling better?" Petra asked, an amused tone to her voice. Kallian got the distinct impression the mage wasn't exactly asking after her general health.

Zevran chuckled to himself behind Kallian as he began fondling her breasts. She stayed his hand and smiled back at Petra.

"Um...ah...well, yes, actually." She could feel some muscles more so than others, which was to be expected given how little she had used them over the past two weeks, but now that she thought about it, Kallian realized she was feeling much better. "I am quite well, thank you for asking."

Petra was now standing at the foot of the bed, picking up the clothing they had discarded the night before, a knowing smile spreading across her face. "A bath has been drawn and your breakfast is waiting for you. Ser Alistair has requested that you both join him for dinner and would like you to come to the palace at midday." She paused, her smile fading.

Kallian sat up, pulling the covers with her, much to Zevran's displeasure. Ignoring his complaints about the cold air, Kallian motioned for Petra to sit on the bed.

"What is it?"

Petra peered out into the sitting room just in time to see the last of the servants leaving. Satisfied they were alone, she sat at the foot of the bed.

"Zevran told you about the templar, Ser Rylock?"

Kallian nodded, feeling Zevran shifting beside her to prop himself up on his elbows.

"She is still here?" he asked, stretching his neck from side to side.

Petra nodded. "She refuses to believe that Anders is gone and thinks you're hiding him. She says it is known that you provided sanctuary for an apostate during the blight, so I suppose it's not a far stretch of the imagination to think that you somehow spirited him away while you were nearly dying and choking on you own blood after killing the archdemon."

Kallian felt Zevran cringe at Petra's last words and reached out to squeeze his hand.

"Um, yes, well, that apostate fought for this country every bit as much as I did and I will not have anyone speak poorly of Morrigan...or Anders, for that matter. Without him, I am fairly certain we would not be sitting here having this conversation."

Petra seemed relieved. "Thank you. He is...well, he is not a menace to society. Not much of one, anyway," she added with a laugh.

"Do you know where he went?"

"No, he didn't say, he just…well, he helped us with your armor, got you laid out so we could work on you, and when he was certain you would live, he slipped off into the fort."

Kallian nodded. "That's a shame. I could use someone like him. Well, I'll tell Rylock _something_, wish her luck and show her the door. Ah…could you give us a few minutes?"

Petra laughed and stood, leaving the clothes she had gathered on the bed. "Of course, I'll leave. There is no reason for me to stay, but I will want to check on your babe later." She paused and winked at the couple.

"I am happy nature has finally taken its course. Just don't overdo it." She directed that comment at Zevran, smirking as she left the room.

As Petra pulled the main door to the suite shut behind her, she heard Kallian shriek and laugh. Smiling, she headed to the kitchen to make tea.

xXx

Kallian and Zevran arrived at the palace just before the noon hour and were greeted by the seneschal who welcomed them, introduced himself as Simon and suggested that he escort them to the king's apartment. As they climbed to the second floor of the palace, he lowered his voice and addressed Kallian.

"Warden Commander, Ser Alistair has asked me to warn you that…" he was cut off by Ser Rylock herself as they stepped into the hallway.

"Thank you, Simon. I am aware," Kallian whispered.

"Commander," Rylock began, staring down at Kallian. "I have questions regarding the whereabouts of an apostate mage, Anders, who was last seen in your company. I wonder why you have been avoiding me."

Zevran stepped closer to Kallian, his eyes on Rylock. The woman had done nothing but annoy him and the others and certainly seemed to have a somewhat inflated sense of herself.

Kallian linked her arm through Zevran's and smiled, her tone a little too sweet. "Good morning to you as well, Ser Rylock. I am certain you were informed that I sustained numerous and very serious injuries when I killed the archdemon and that I have been confined to my quarters these past two weeks on my healer's orders. Indeed, she tells me I was nearly killed and this is the first time she has allowed me to venture outside.

"Simon, I believe Ser Alistair is expecting Zevran and me, and I do not wish to keep our future king waiting. Walk with us if you must, Ser Rylock."

Without waiting for the templar's response, Kallian followed Simon further down the hall, until he stopped and knocked on a door. Rylock's armor clanked as she hurried behind them.

"Commander, by the authority of the Chantry, I demand that you tell me where you are hiding the apostate, Anders."

Alistair opened the door just then, his warm smile dissolving upon seeing Rylock.

"Maker's breath, woman, I have already told you that the Chantry has no jurisdiction where the Grey Wardens are concerned. _I_ don't have jurisdiction over them! And for the last time…"

Kallian touched his arm. "Brother, calm yourself."

Turning to Rylock, Kallian sighed. "Ser Rylock, I was only ever formally introduced to First Enchanter Irving, Wynne, who I am sad to say perished during the siege on Denerim, and my healer, Petra. I don't know the names of the rest of the Circle mages who came with Irving."

Ser Rylock's lip twitched. "He is very tall, blond, some would say handsome. He is rather fond of the Tevinter robes, lots of buckles, feathers. The man is a ponce."

It took a good deal of effort to not laugh at that remark. Kallian did her best to look pensive, instead.

"Hmm. You know, that does sound familiar, but honestly, the last time I saw any of the Circle mages, they were on the roof of Fort Drakon, helping our forces battle the greatest evil this country has seen in four hundred years. If your Anders was there, it's a pity _that_ counts for naught in the Chantry's eyes." She tipped her head to one side, considering the templar.

"I am afraid I cannot remember much after killing the archdemon. As I say, I was nearly flung off the roof and quite seriously injured, out cold for days."

Kallian put a hand to her forehead, suddenly staggering forward into Alistair. "Oh, I am sorry…" she mumbled as her eyes fluttered shut and her head lolled forward.

Alistair caught her before she slumped to the floor and lifted her up. "Zev, let's get her to the settee in my sitting room. Simon, summon our healer immediately and would you please have someone escort Ser Rylock out of the palace with instructions to not allow her back in until further notice. I'll give you a sovereign if you can make _that_ happen within the next five minutes. Ser Rylock, I trust your business with the Warden Commander is finished? I will be mentioning this to the Reverend Mother during her audience with the Queen and me later this afternoon."

He turned on his heels and kicked the door to his chambers shut, rushing to the settee.

"I should try that more often."

Alistair started at the sound of Kallian's voice and dropped her onto the settee. "Maker! You…you…I wish I'd dropped you on the floor! Do you know how worried I was? And the look on Zevran's face…_shame_ on you."

"I am sorry, but I couldn't think of anything else to do or say. She was annoying me and I wanted her gone. Problem solved." Kallian sat up and brushed her hands together as though she were dusting them off.

The three friends looked at each other and broke into laughter.

"That probably won't be the last we hear of that, though. Obviously, the man's notorious for escaping _and_ getting caught." She stood up and rubbed her stomach.

"Petra said you were going to feed us. I'm starving."

Alistair laughed and clapped a hand on her shoulder while waving the other to a nearby table ladened with covered platters. "Let's eat."

xXx

Ferelden's Warden Commander was back to work. Kallian spent the better part of a day with Alistair and Anora discussing her plans for the Ferelden Grey Wardens. She would begin recruiting as soon as possible, but they would need to establish headquarters and outposts. The Denerim compound was a good facility, but it lacked the self-sufficiency she wanted for a larger base; there was no room for a kitchen garden, never mind farming or animal husbandry. Unless they could use land near the city, all their supplies would have to be purchased and brought in. Soldier's Peak was too remote to function as their main post; she wanted something along major trade routes, near a port or large city or both. They poured over maps and debated the merits of using existing buildings versus starting from the ground up. With the treasury heavily depleted as a result of the Blight, all options had to be considered carefully. This concern also raised the issue of how, exactly, the Grey Wardens would sustain themselves financially.

"Depending on the location, we could build a small community, engage famers and the like to provide for our needs and theirs, selling surplus goods for profit. A bit ambitious, perhaps, but certainly worth considering. Cattle, lamb and sheep provide milk, meat, wool and leather, and we could have chickens, and so on."

Agreeing to meet again to discuss the matter further, Anora stood and suggested that she escort Kallian out while Alistair prepared for his next meeting.

"Simon, could you please find Berta for me and have her meet us at the main entry?"

"Yes, ma'am." Simon scurried off ahead of them and disappeared down a servants' staircase.

"Kallian," Anora linked her arm with Kallian's and began to walk the Warden to the first floor. "I wonder if you've given any consideration to where you wish to be married to Zevran, when, that sort of thing."

"I had hoped to be married in the alienage, under the vhenadahl, but from what I understand the area is still quite a mess and repairs have only just begun. I haven't been back yet to see for myself, but if not there, I don't know.

"As to when, the sooner the better, but as late as Harvestmere, I suppose."

Anora was scandalized. "So close to Satinalia? Won't people simply get you one gift to celebrate both events? It would be fitting if Alistair and I could wed on First Day, the start of a new year, a new life. Or perhaps Wintermarch. Unfortunately, we may need to wait six months or more to ensure the nobility can attend. The priority now is to allow them to return to their lands, see to their people. Ferelden must begin the process of recovering from this Blight.

"Now tell me, Kallian, why are you so particular with the timing of your wedding?"

"Alistair hasn't told you?"

"Told me…?"

Kallian blushed, instinctively putting a hand on her belly. Anora gasped.

"You're pregnant? How wonderful!" She gave Kallian's arm a squeeze.

"Thank you, Anora. Petra thinks I am due to give birth in Cloudreach. I don't suppose it really matters, but I would rather get married before it is obvious. I haven't told my father yet, and I suppose I should before too much longer."

"Well, you are very slender, and it has been my experience that smaller women show earlier." Anora's expression grew sad. "Cailan and I tried, but in the five years we were married I only conceived once and miscarried early. Alistair has told me it may be difficult for him to father a child, but I suppose this is a good sign."

She was quiet for a moment as they began to descend the staircase. "But this is not why I wished to speak with you. Alistair and I have talked about it and we would like to invite you to have your wedding here in the private garden. By mid-Kingsway, the leaves of the ivy along the back wall will have turned but not fallen and it should provide a lovely backdrop. What do you think? That is just over two weeks away."

Kallian blinked at Anora. "I…I am honoured, Anora. Thank you."

They had reached the main floor of the palace to find a breathless young woman waiting for them.

She curtsied. "Your Majesty."

"Good afternoon, Berta," Anora said.

"Berta, this is the Warden Commander of the Ferelden Grey Wardens. She is to be married in two weeks' time and I would like to offer your services as a seamstress to her as a wedding present. She will need a wedding dress and some more intimate items prepared in time. Can you do this?"

Berta's face lit up with a smile. "Oh, yes ma'am. It would be an honor."

"Well, perhaps you should get your things and go with the Commander now to get started." She watched as the young woman hurried off.

"Anora, I…I don't know what to say. Thank you," Kallian stammered. The pace of her life had slowed down to a near standstill, but it was speeding back up again and she found herself feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"It will not be a problem getting word out to your family and friends with such short notice? Do you think Zevran will mind?"

"Sending invitations will not be a problem and I will be speaking with Zev shortly. I imagine this will be fine." She was nervous again, and let out a breath of air.

Anora laughed, patting Kallian's hand. "Do not worry. It is perfectly natural to be nervous at a time like this. So we are settled on the fifteenth of Kingsway?"

Kallian nodded.

"Good. Ah, here's Berta. I shall leave you in her most capable hands while I get started on the other arrangements."

"Yes, ma'am," Kallian whispered as Anora turned and disappeared down a nearby hallway with a swish of her skirts.

Kallian could never have imagined that her marriage would be of interest to Ferelden's queen. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she smiled and led Berta to the Warden compound.

xXx

Kallian and Zevran stood on the battlements of the compound watching the sun set. He stood behind her, resting his chin on her head, his arms around her shoulders. She rested her hands on his forearms, thumbs idly brushing back and forth. Supper had been a large affair with Leliana, Oghren, Sten, Petra, Soris, Shianni and Cyrion crowding around the kitchen table with them for mutton and kidney pie, ale and bread. She had told her father he was going to be a grandfather and he wept with joy. It had been a good evening.

"You don't mind, Zev? That's just over two weeks away."

"No, amata. I do not mind. Whatever your heart desires."

She sighed and turned to face him, slipping her arms around his waist. "I must confess that I am nervous, and not just about getting married. It's the uncertainty of our future. For months we were consumed with our quest. Stabilize the government, kill the archdemon, end the Blight. Hardly a day went by when weren't fighting for our lives, and now..."

"And now you wonder what you'll do with yourself? With a baby on the way and Grey Wardens to recruit, I think you will find yourself with more than enough to do." He kissed her forehead.

"In peace, vigilance," she murmured. "I hope you are right, Zev."

"You look tired, mia cara. Come, let's get you to bed, hmm?"

She smiled. "I am not so tired, but perhaps just enough that you could easily have your way with me."

"A man would have to be crazy to turn down a deadly sex goddess such as yourself. Lead the way, I am yours."

* * *

**A/N:** Welcome new followers and a shout out to TMcGee, Zevgirl and Zute! Thank you so much for your comments/reviews, and for adding me to your alerts/favorites lists. Thanks also to Bioware...

I am close to wrapping this up and am contemplating what to do next. To that end, I have placed a poll on my profile to help me decide. Feel free to voice your opinion.

Please comment/review, as I do like hearing from you. Cheers, Biff


	34. To My Hand, My Heart, My Soul

**To My Hand, My Heart, My Soul**

_Your sweet moonbeam  
The smell of you in every  
Single dream I dream  
I knew when we collided  
You're the one I have decided  
Who's one of my kind._

_You see, I can be myself now finally  
In fact there's nothing I can't be  
I want the world to see you'll be with me_

Soul Sister_ by Train  
Songwriters: Amund Ivarsson Bjorklund, Espen Lind, Patrick T Monahan_

* * *

Kallian awoke slowly, trying to get a sense of her surroundings. Aside from the distant noise of activity, and the sound of a fire crackling in the fireplace, it was quiet and she assumed that Zevran had taken Lucius to the kennels. She could smell nothing but sex and Zevran's massage oils and heard her stomach complain as if it understood. No food. She stretched out her arms and legs as far as she could and opened her eyes. Dim light penetrated the curtains and curiosity got the better of her. Rolling over onto her stomach, she pushed herself up off the bed and pulled her robe on, wrapping it around her body. Going to the nearest window, she pushed the curtains back. It was early morning and what she could see of the sky was grey. Absentmindedly running a hand over her belly and hoping for blue skies for their wedding, she unlatched the window and pulled it open, taking a deep breath of cool air. The breeze blew with it a mixture of familiar smells, from the Amaranthine Ocean to the east, the Drakon River to the north, the forests to the west, and the city all around the compound. Quite unexpectedly, her stomach lurched and the taste of bile rose in her throat. She was barely able to reach for the chamber pot in time before she vomited. Gasping for breath and suddenly feeling quite tired, she sat down on the floor and leaned against the bed.

"Maker's breath," she whispered to herself.

Petra had said that she might begin to experience the morning sickness that was often associated with pregnancy, warning that it could occur at random times and be brought on by smells, tastes or nothing at all. Kallian remembered one of Shianni's friends had been quite ill for several weeks with her first child. _Great, it starts two days before our wedding._ _Couldn't wait until two days after_. She prayed she wouldn't be quite so affected. Groaning, she pulled herself up and staggered to her sitting room for some water. As she sat at her desk, the door opened and Zevran entered with a tray of food, the compound's seneschal, Gerard, trailing behind him with a tray of tea supplies and a batch of mail tucked under his arm.

Zevran took one look at her and quickly deposited the tray on the table and went to her side. "You are not well."

"No, but 'tis expected," she mumbled. In spite of how she was feeling, the sight of him sent a pang of desire through her body.

Gerard cleared his throat. "If I may, Commander?" He set the tray onto her desk and searched through a basket containing several small packets of herbs. Opening two, he poured the contents into the teapot, added hot water from a kettle at the edge of the fire and covered it again.

"Give that a few minutes to steep and then have a cup." Seeing the inquisitive look on Zevran's face, he added "Ginger and peppermint, ser, for morning sickness."

Gerard set the parchments he carried beside the tray. "This arrived for you today and a crate came with it. I will have that brought up later. I thought you might appreciate some peace and quiet before you relocate to the palace tomorrow and I have cleared your calendar for the day. Dinner will be served in the mail hall as usual, no guests, only those residing here, and supper will be brought to your rooms, unless you wish otherwise. If there is nothing else, Commander?"

"No, Gerard, thank you. Um…how did you know about the morning sickness and tea?"

"I wouldn't be much use to you, Commander, if I couldn't anticipate your needs. Petra and I and your staff are all here to assist you."

"My staff," she mused with a smile, still finding the notion that she had _staff_ rather strange. "That's very thoughtful of you. Thank you, Gerard. You may go." Stranger still, she actually had to tell them to leave the room before they would go. She was beginning to understand Alistair's complaints about protocol and increased responsibility.

When Gerard was gone, she watched Zevran sniff the teapot. "Really?"

"One can never be too careful," he replied sagely. "It is very strong, you will only want to try half a cup at first I think."

"You know about remedies for morning sickness?" Kallian stood and went to him, pressing herself against his back and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He shrugged, pouring more water for her. "I was raised in a whore house, I know all manner of things relating to a woman's health."

Kallian considered that for a moment. "Lucky for me, I suppose," she whispered.

"Come, mia cara, have something to eat and drink your tea. Then we will exercise, yes?" He kissed her forehead as she released him and took the cup he offered to her.

She sighed. "And here I thought I might get some sympathy for being ill. You are a cruel man, Master Arainai, but perhaps I could talk you into a…different kind of exercise this morning?"

"Hm. I rather like the sound of that. Drink up," he commanded sharply with a gleam in his eye.

"Yes, Master Arainai, as you please." Mischief sparkling in her eyes, Kallian drank her tea.

xXx

Kallian stood before the vanity in Anora's apartment, staring at her reflection as Berta tied her into her wedding dress. She hardly recognized herself. Leliana had styled her hair, sweeping it up and back from her face with dozens of twisted sections of hair. Catching it all at the crown of Kallian's head with golden combs and a band of tiny green and white flowers, Leliana left the rest of it to fall in curls down past her shoulders. Shianni had applied Kallian's makeup; pale purple eye shadow, a light dusting of pink blush and a stain to darken her lips. Kallian's dress was made of dark green silk, something Anora had insisted on, with ivory embellishments and gold embroidery. White was often considered a colour of the poorer classes; green represented youth. Given that Kallian was with child, blue had seemed inappropriate, associated as it was with purity. _Things I never would have thought of_, Kallian sighed to herself.

The design of the dress was a far cry from the woolen one she had worn for her marriage to Nelaros. That itchy dress had been fairly shapeless and covered her from neck to ankle; this one slid across her skin like a cool breeze. It had what Berta called a décolleté bodice that laced up the back and fit Kallian quite snugly, with a drop waist and a full skirt that pooled slightly at her feet and fanned out behind her. A sash of ivory silk embroidered with golden vines and leaves circled the waist and hung down the back of the dress and a matching band wrapped around Kallian's shoulders and trimmed the neckline. Trumpet-shaped sleeves began just off her shoulders and flowed down past her wrists, with fitted chiffon undersleeves in ivory. She had never seen anything like it, Ferelden fashion being rather dull, but it was apparently a style that had come from Orlais and was quickly gaining popularity amongst the nobles. Kallian's exposed shoulders, back and chest had been dusted with a powder that glittered as light played over her skin.

"There," Berta announced as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. "What do you think?"

"I don't know what to say, Berta. If I couldn't see my lips moving in the mirror, I'd swear that isn't me. It's…it's beautiful." She turned slightly from side to side before pulling her skirts up and turning around.

"_You're_ beautiful, miss, if I may say so. I'm sure that groom of yours will be enraptured and fall in love with you all over again the moment he sees you. Just you wait until you see what I've made for you to wear this evening," she said with a sly tone.

Kallian laughed, having given up trying to get details from Berta about the more intimate items Anora had requested be made for her. The seamstress hadn't shared any information about what Zevran would be wearing, either. Before she could thank Berta, there was a knock at the door and Shianni and Leliana slipped into the room, wearing similar but far less elaborate dresses in a lighter shade of green. Leliana carried a nosegay of green ivy, white mallow, white roses and long, thin strands of a decorative grass from the palace grounds, tied together with a strip of ivory silk. Berta took it from her and stood it on a nearby table.

"Cousin…you look…so…_so_…" Shianni was at a loss for words as she crossed to Kallian and hugged her.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you were left speechless, Shianni. Thank you. You both look beautiful."

Kallian took Shianni's hands and the two women shared a long look of understanding before Shianni nodded with a short laugh. "So many things have changed, cousin. I am…better, but enough melancholy. Uncle will be ready soon, Zev and the others are ready and waiting."

Leliana wiped a tear from her eye. "You are gorgeous. Zev will not be able to keep his hands off you." After a pause, she laughed. "Oh, that may not be a good thing. He does like an audience, yes?"

"Speaking of the groom, Kalli, he asked me to give you this," Shianni reached into a small purse at her waist and pulled out a packet of tea leaves, which she handed to Leliana.

"Tea to calm your stomach," she explained as she reached back into the purse. "And this is for you to give to Zevran during the ceremony. Put it on your right thumb for now."

Kallian took the ring Shianni held out to her and turned it in her hand. The gold band was wide and inlaid with a vine of silver ivy that wound around the entire ring. Their wedding date and initials were engraved on the inside of the band.

"Maker's breath, it's beautiful. Where did he get this?" Kallian could feel the sting of tears forming in her eyes and blinked them back.

"From _you_. It is made from some of the gold and silver you gave to him," Leliana replied, handing her a linen handkerchief. "It is a good thing you did not let Anora talk you into marrying any sooner or the goldsmith might not have finished them."

Kallian slipped the ring onto her thumb and kissed it. "I cannot wait to see Zev. I know I saw him yesterday at dinner, but that feels like _days_ ago. Ah, I am nervous. Nervous, excited, scared and happy. Oh, and a little ill. Ugh, I think I need some of that tea now!"

Amid much laughter, the ladies finished getting ready, Kallian drank her tea, and they hurried down to the first floor to meet Cyrion.

xXx

The private garden at the palace had been meticulously groomed and maintained in anticipation of the Warden Commander's wedding. A set of double doors opened from the great hall out onto a stone terrace facing a large square courtyard surrounded by ten-foot tall stone walls. The far wall was covered with ivy that had turned a deep shade of red and with the sun out it was a lovely sight. The illusion of a circular garden had been created with curved flower beds in each corner of the courtyard and the garden itself was cut into eight sections by walkways that resembled a wagon wheel. This garden was used for cultivating a variety of fragrant herbs and flowers, all growing no taller than two or three feet in some cases, which gave the guests a perfect view of the palace, all corners of the garden and each other. In addition to the Grey Wardens' companions and family, Anora, Ser Cauthrien, Petra, First Enchanter Irving and several members of the nobility were present. The list included those who were indebted to the Warden Commander for one reason or another: The Arl and Arlessa of Redcliffe, Bann Teagan Guerrin of Rainesfere, Bann Sighard of Dragon's Peak and his son Oswyn, and Bann Alfstanna of Waking Sea. Zevran stood with the Reverend Mother before the wall of red ivy, just a hint of nervousness showing in the way he had smoothed his hair almost every minute since arriving. Lucius sat at his feet, panting happily.

A lute began to play and servants opened the double doors. A hush fell over the garden as everyone's attention turned toward the terrace. Shianni stepped out and began to walk across the garden to join the Reverend Mother, followed shortly thereafter by Leliana. After a moment's pause, Cyrion escorted his daughter through the doorway. The guests gasped and murmured their appreciation; Zevran caught his breath, completely transfixed, eyes on Kallian. She, too, only had eyes for him as she walked toward him. His golden hair was gleaming and he wore a close-fitting dark green silk doublet with black frog closures over an ivory shirt, with black leggings and leather boots. Her pulse quickened and her fingers sought the gold band on her thumb under cover of the nosegay she held tightly in both hands.

Cyrion embraced Kallian and kissed her cheeks. "Your mamae would be proud, da'len. _I_ am proud."

"Thank you, Papae."

Cyrion shook Zevran's hand and stepped aside, while Shianni rearranged Kallian's skirt.

The Reverend Mother smiled and looked from Zevran to Kallian and back. "Have you both come here today of your own free will to be bound to one another as husband and wife?"

Kallian nodded as Zevran replied "I have" and then laughed at herself for forgetting so quickly what she'd been told to do. "I have."

"In the name of the Maker, who brought us this world, and in whose name we say the Chant of Light, I welcome you all to stand as witnesses to the marriage of Zevran Arainai and Kallian Tabris. If there is anyone present who knows of any reason why these two may not be so joined, speak now or forever hold your peace." She was silent for a reasonable amount of time and then continued. "Please join hands and listen to what I am about to say."

Kallian passed her nosegay to Shianni and took Zevran's hands. He rubbed his thumbs back and forth across the backs of her hands and gave her fingers an affectionate squeeze. She grinned nervously, squeezing back.

"The gifts of the Maker are all around you. Above you are the stars, below you are the stones, and as time passes, remember…Like a stone should your love be firm and like a star should your love be constant. Let the strength of your wills bind you together, the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience with one another, for though storms may come, they will pass quickly. Be free in giving affection and warmth, and above all, let Andraste's teachings and her love for the Maker guide you in your marriage.

"Zevran, please take Kallian's left hand in your own. As it is your wish to be bonded to Kallian, place your ring on her finger."

Kallian watched as Zevran took a band of gold out of a pouch at his waist and reached for her hand, sliding the ring onto her third finger. It wasn't quite as wide than the one she had for him, but it was otherwise identical save for one embellishment. An emerald and a topaz were set into the silver leaves along the top of the ring. Their eyes met and a warmness spread through her. He had told her that her eyes, the gateway to her soul, were like bright emeralds and she had once commented that his eyes were the color of a topaz she had found.

"Kallian, please take Zevran's left and hand in your own. As it is your wish to be bonded to Zevran, place your ring on his finger."

Kallian did so, the nervousness and anxiety of getting to this point melting away. They squeezed each other's fingers and struggled to turn their attention back to the Reverend Mother. The guests laughed, seeing how difficult it was for the pair to tear their eyes away from one another.

"Zevran, Kallian, please recite the vows you have written."

"I, Zevran Arainai, take you, Kallian, to my hand, my heart and my soul, as my chosen one. I promise I shall love you wholly and without restraint, in sickness and health, in plenty and poverty, for all the days of my life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember and love again. You showed me mercy and kindness where I had expected none, life where I had expected death, and you offered me an opportunity to choose a better path for myself. Because of you, _with_ you, I am more than I could have ever hoped to be on my own. I desire nothing more than to spend the rest of my days showing you how truly grateful I am for that and for the love you have gifted to me. May I always be worthy of it."

Kallian had to take a moment to collect her thoughts and find her voice. They had personalized the vows often used in marriage ceremonies and she was not prepared for the effect his words had on her. When she was confident she wouldn't choke on the emotions she felt within her, or burst into tears, she spoke.

"I, Kallian Tabris, take you, Zevran, to my hand, my heart and my soul, as my chosen one. I promise I shall love you wholly and without restraint, in sickness and health, in plenty and poverty, for all the days of my life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember and love again. Because of you, I have known strength and comfort in my darkest hours. You have offered me friendship and love, you have stood by my side and fought with me, and you have protected and taken care of me. I desire nothing more than to spend the rest of my days showing you how truly grateful I am for that and for the love that _you_ have gifted to _me_. May I always be worthy of it."

The Reverend Mother smiled and reached out to place a hand on each of their heads. "By the power vested in me by the Chantry, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Zevran, you may kiss your bride."

"Well, you don't need to tell me twice," Zevran quipped to much laugher, stepping forward to pull Kallian into his arms.

As he embraced her and kissed her with abandon, the guests gathered around the garden applauded. Some resorted to whistling and cheering as Kallian and Zevran's hands began to wander and the kiss went on. Finally remembering where they were, the pair touched foreheads and turned to face their guests.

"It is with pleasure that I present to you Zevran and Kallian Arainai," the Reverend Mother announced.

xXx

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of celebration. Food and drink were plentiful, musicians played music until well after the sun went down, Leliana sang several songs, everyone danced and well-wishers flowed through the yard in a seemingly endless stream, leaving gifts and notes with Gerard to take back to the compound. Kallian and Zevran were inseparable and virtually glowing with happiness, never tiring of the guests' shouts for a kiss. As night fell, candle lamps were set out and Anora and Alistair presented the bride and groom with the final pieces of their wedding clothes – hooded, fur-lined capes made of very fine wool in deep green with black frog closures down the front to hold the cape snugly in place.

Shortly before it was time for the bride and groom to be delivered to their suite for the evening, Bann Teagan sat beside Zevran and handed him a key and a scroll.

"I have a cabin along the coast, a half day's travel northeast of Denerim, on the cliffs looking east to Alamar Island. I would like to offer it to you for a week. I assume you will return for Alistair's coronation?" Zevran and Kallian nodded. "Comes complete with a caretaker and maid, and quarters for your healer Petra and the guardsmen I shall send with you. That is the key and a map."

"Thank you, my friend. That is most generous of you," Zevran gripped Teagan's hand.

"Really, Teagan, thank you so much." Kallian kissed him on the cheek.

Teagan shook his head. "No, it is nothing compared to what you have done for my family and for all of Thedas." He spotted Eamon, Isolde and Connor across the courtyard and smiled.

"You saved my nephew and my brother, restored peace to Redcliffe, and ended the Blight. Connor will have to go to the Circle Tower, but Isolde seems to have accepted that. She has…changed…relaxed, _melted_, I don't know, but whatever it is, it is a good thing. I think they will be all right." He stood.

"I should let you go. Enjoy your honeymoon." With that, Teagan slipped off to return to Eamon's estate.

Zevran stood and held his hand out to Kallian. "Come, Wife. We have a private celebration to attend."

Laughing, she stood, gripping handfuls of her skirt to lift it off the ground. They would have to say good night to their guests first and she was anxious to get on her way quickly. "Yes, Husband, and the sooner we get there, the better."

xXx

Kallian stood in the doorway of their bedroom, thankful a full fire was roaring in the fireplace. Her sleeping attire was quite…sparse…and she certainly did not expect it to wear it for very long. The garment was made of ivory silk and had thin shoulder straps. It was cut very low to expose her breasts almost to the nipples and was a snug fit down to her hips where it flared out just a bit, the skirt ending mid-thigh. How Berta had made such a well-fitted garment based on measurements and no fittings, she couldn't say. The woman was a very talented seamstress.

Kallian surveyed the room. Numerous small candle lamps had been placed around the room; a covered tray of bread and cheese, salted pork and smoked fish was on the table with wine, water, a good supply of tea leaves and a pair of goblets; several jugs of rose-scented water had been set out in the bathroom; a good supply of firewood was stacked by the hearth; a kettle of water, more goblets and a cauldron of porridge were nearby for the couple. It was perfect; everything they needed for the night and into the next day was close at hand. She started as the door opened.

Zevran stepped in, dressed only in loose fitting tan pants. He closed the door and knocked the deadbolt into place, never taking his eyes off her. Her breath caught and she felt moisture building between her legs.

"Wife."

"Husband."

"That is…quite the chemise. You look…_delizioso_, mia cara."

Zevran advanced on Kallian with a predatory look in his eye. Reaching her, he slipped his arms around her, hands roaming down to rest on her bottom. Kallian pulled back and looked into his eyes, her arms resting on his shoulders as she wound her fingers into his hair. She could feel his arousal pressing against her thigh and shifted against him, drawing a low moan from his throat.

"You looked quite ravishing today, bella. I almost didn't recognize you without the armor, the blood, the darkspawn guts."

"Shut up and kiss me, Zev. I have been damp with desire for hours, and I…"

He silenced her with a deep, probing kiss, as he gripped her thighs and pulled her up off the ground. She felt him sit them down on the edge of their bed, felt cool air against the folds of her sex as he straddled her over his legs, pulling her head back with her hair so he could kiss her throat. Heat spread out from their groins, desire pulsed along their nerves and all manner of coherent thought and speech left them. They could only moan, grunt and sigh.

Kallian slid off Zevran's legs and knelt at his feet, taking his manhood in her hands. She fondled his balls as she dragged her tongue along the underside of his shaft and flicked it back and forth over its head. Taking him in her mouth, she made love to that part of him, humming as she took him deep into her throat. Zevran fell back with a low groan, hands gripping the covers. The frustration of being separated from her entirely, if only for a day, combined with the anticipation of taking her as his wife, both in marriage and bed, had left him in a heightened state of arousal most of the evening. Before long, he shouted out and came, filling her mouth with his seed. She rose up on her knees and looked at him as she swallowed. Standing, she crawled onto the bed and along his body, settling her sex against his as she kissed him. He could taste himself on her lips and felt his flaccid penis hardening again.

Holding her firmly, he rolled them over so he was now on top of her. He kissed her lips, face and throat, nibbling and licking as he went, pinching her nipples and fondling her breasts. He suckled breasts, her fingers, and finally that glorious spot between her legs. Holding her hips firmly in place, he lavished his attentions upon her. His thumb massaged the hard knot of flesh within her folds, while his fingers and tongue slid in and out of her body. Within minutes she was screaming his name, her body shuddering with a violent orgasm, and in one swift movement, he pushed his length into her.

All sense of time and space left them as they made love to each other, celebrating their union more times than they ever had in the past, a seemingly boundless energy fuelling them both. Finally, Zevran flipped Kallian onto her back once more and pulled both legs up to rest on his shoulders. Leaning forward he thrust into her hard until he could feel the first telltale signs of another orgasm overcoming her. Leaning back, continuing to push into her, he grabbed one of her feet and began to suck her toes. As her eyes flew wide open with surprise, he pushed his tongue between her toes and delighted in her response. Her back arched and she cried out in a hoarse voice, white-knuckled hands gripping the bed sheets, and then he, too, was falling into blissful oblivion, his hips bucking against her as he leaned his head back with a shout.

They fell asleep in each other's arms, exhausted and happy, extremities tingling with pleasure.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter _might _be a bit rough. I certainly haven't obsessed over it quite so much as I have other chapters and I wanted to get this posted before the weekend. On that note, I wish you all a very happy seasonal holiday of your choice (how politically correct can one be?), or as I like to say to those who do observe a religious holiday at this time...Merry ChristmaHanuKwanzaakah!

My gratitude goes out to Bioware and everyone who has added me to a favorite or alerts list, especially those for whom I do beta reading: Zevgirl, TMcGee and Zute. Cheers, ladies!

If you are interested, my decisions regarding Kallian's dress design, fabric and colour come from http: / blog .bridepower. com / tag/ brides/ and http: /historymedren. about. com/ od/ clothingandfabric/ Medieval_Clothing_and_Fabrics. htm. I figured because Anora had her hands all over this event, she would insist on giving the Hero of Ferelden the best materials, colours and all round royal treatment. A Wiki entry describing the language of flowers suggests that mallow means 'consumed by love' and the white rose means 'eternal love'. I realize the marriage ceremony is fairly pagan, but it should be given that I pinched most of it, very nearly verbatim, from this source - http: / www .dfwx. com/medieval. html. I stumbled across it and thought it was rather suiting for elves. Add some religious elements with a sprinkling of references to Andraste and the Maker, and presto gizmo, a short, sweet wedding. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Life will not always be so easy and pleasant for the Arainais...

I really like _Soul Sister_ and thought that some of the lyrics were suitable for use here. If you are not familiar with it, t's a rather sweet song about a man who has found his soul mate.

As always I welcome comments/reviews, in fact I hope (and secretly crave) for them! I look forward to hearing from you. Cheers, Biff


	35. Now You Know How I Felt

**Now You Know How I Felt**

Teagan's cottage was anything but a cottage, really. It stood two stories tall and had a completely stocked butler's pantry and cold cellar below the kitchen. The additional accommodations for Petra and Teagan's complement of guards were almost as large, and the caretaker Robert and his wife Maria lived in a third building on the property. The main floor of the so-called cottage contained a sitting room, solarium, kitchen, dining hall, two guest rooms and a bath. The second floor held a library, the master suite and a second bath. There were four fireplaces; one in the sitting room, kitchen, library and master suite. Every window looked out onto the property with its grassy fields, gardens and forested lands, while the eastern windows looked out to the cliffs and the Amaranthine Ocean beyond.

Zevran and Kallian spent their first afternoon walking along the cliffs with Lucius to work out the stiffness caused by the journey there. After a dinner of stuffed capon, smoked fish, roasted root vegetables and fresh bread and cheese, they retired to their suite. With a fire roaring, they made love and slipped into a peaceful slumber.

The days that followed were fairly routine. Breakfast, a training session, snacks for Kallian throughout the day, a bath, dinner, lovemaking wherever and whenever the mood struck them, hunting for birds and rabbits, supper, and a good night's sleep.

Over the week, Kallian's body continued to adjust to her pregnancy. Her appetite grew, something she hadn't thought possible, and she was feeling tired more often, needing to nap almost daily. She had taken to drinking a variety of herbal teas designed to prevent morning sickness and increase her intake of important nutrients, and was in truly good health for the first time in several months.

Dreams returned to her the day before they were to return to Denerim for Alistair's coronation. They weren't violent and disturbing, as they had been during the Blight. They were jumbled and confusing, a series of vague images she couldn't explain and Kallian awoke with a start to pre-dawn light filtering through the gauzy curtains of their bedroom. Zevran was pressed to her back with his arm wrapped around her chest. Feeling her jump, he gave her a squeeze.

"What is it, mia cara moglie? You have been restless." He gave her room to roll onto her back.

"Dreams…a strange looking man with…hair or a helmet or skull…" she gestured to her head with her hands, eyes closed as she tried to keep the image in her mind. "Darkspawn with a human face, and such a strange body. His lips were moving, he was _speaking_, but I was too far away to hear him.

"A broodmother." Kallian shuddered at that. "I don't know what it means, but it can't be good." The images faded from memory and she shook her head, opening her eyes to find Zevran staring down at her.

"Do not look so concerned, Zev. This is to be expected, the darkspawn never truly go away, but this is…_different_, mio caro marito." She pushed her hand into his hair and pulled him down to kiss her.

Zevran growled, pleased she was retaining some of the Antivan he was teaching her. It would be quite a while before she could hold a conversation, but she was remembering some phrases. He liked the sound of her calling him 'my dear husband'. With little warning, he was shifting against her and parting her legs so he could slide into her. They made love slowly as the sun appeared on the eastern horizon, infusing their room with a warm orange light.

As they untangled themselves and spooned together afterward, Kallian felt relaxed enough to broach a subject that had been bouncing around in her head since they had left Denerim.

"Zev, I feel I owe you an apology."

He repositioned himself so that he could look her in the eye. "Why would you say this?"

Kallian stroked his cheek. "From the moment I began to get to know you, I wanted nothing more for you than your freedom. Not just from the Crows and slavery, but true freedom, to make your own choices. Since the siege on Denerim, we haven't really _talked_ about what we'd do next or where we'd go. Almost everything that has happened since we defeated the archdemon has been about me and my career. I should have talked to you about this, about being Warden Commander, what that would mean for us, and to be sure you agree with this, or…"

"Is this not who you are and what you should be doing now?" he asked, deeply moved by her concern.

"Yes, but my point is that we never really _talked_ about it, and we should have. We are married, expecting a child, this is _our_ life and I didn't even think to ask you what you thought about my continuing on as the Warden Commander after the Blight. I worry training recruits will not be enough for you, I wonder if there is something else you'd rather do, I can't help thinking if there are any Crows from Taliesin's cell left, they may yet come for you, and the longer we stay in one…"

Zevran cut Kallian off, a finger to her lips. "Sometimes, when you are anxious, you have this way of babbling that is really quite endearing."

She smiled and pulled back. "I'm serious. I don't want to…I want us to be…" she paused, trying to collect her thoughts. "My parents talked about everything, they made decisions together, they were partners. I want the same for us and I just wanted to make sure you know that."

"How long have you been worrying about this?"

"Since the wedding, maybe longer" she admitted sheepishly.

He searched her face for a moment before responding, his thumb brushing her lips as he cupped her cheek in his hand. "You were the first person I met who truly cared about what I wanted, who wanted me to live as I would wish. _This_ is what I want, a life with you, our son and any more children we may be lucky enough to have. You have given me so many gifts, bellissima." He kissed her tenderly.

"This is who you are, the woman I chose to marry, and after several months in your company, I think I knew what I was getting into. I will happily train your rogue recruits in the dueling arts, teach your warriors to be light on their feet and how to best rogue, keep them all limber. Someone will have to take care of our son while you are away, yes? I am not just an accomplished assassin and lover, you know."

Kallian giggled and Zevran cleared his throat with mock disapproval.

"But listen to me, mia bella moglie. You are right, this is _our_ life. We must be open and honest with each other in all things. You should not bear the burden of these doubts on your own, you do not have to. Promise me this."

"I promise, marito," Kallian replied, feeling humbled.

"As for the Crows, if Master Ignacio still lives, you can use your connection to him to keep an eye on them. If they make a move we will know of it, yes?"

"Mmm. You're very handsome when you're being romantic and reassuring, do you know that?"

"But of course, mia cara. It is a strategy I use to lure you into bed."

"I'm already in bed."

"Look at that, works like a charm!" With a grin he pinned her to the bed and kissed her. It would be a while before they ventured downstairs for breakfast.

xXx

Kallian looked around the throne room of the palace as she and Zevran were escorted in by Simon. After weeks with only a handful of people around her, arriving back in a very crowded Denerim to find herself the center of attention, even at the _king's_ coronation, was somewhat overwhelming. A guard of four soldiers had been assigned to accompany them wherever they went, which she had thought laughable until she had taken a look outside the compound that morning. It seemed as though the city's population had tripled and the excess Fereldans were lingering around the compound and the palace, trying to get a glimpse of the Hero of Ferelden and her companions. Hundreds of strange faces had craned to see her at every corner between the compound and the palace. Something about the added respect she was being accorded felt odd, but she thought she might be continuing to adjust to having a position that elevated her above her impoverished beginnings.

Here, the faces were familiar. The large room was peppered with lords and ladies, her companions, Ser Cauthrien, her father, and representatives from the Chantry, Circle of Magi, Orzammar and even the Dalish clans.

Upon their arrival, there was a collective gasp as the crowd's attention turned toward the entrance. Alistair had commissioned Wade to fashion a new set of armor for Kallian from some of the archdemon scales collected after its death. The finished product was a deep shade of purple, so dark it was almost black, and it hugged Kallian's curves quite nicely. Aside from the unique armor, she had put on a bit of weight and had a sun-kissed complexion from the unusual sunny weather they had enjoyed on the coast. Combined with the glow of pregnancy, Kallian was radiant. Zevran wore his ancient elven armor and he, too, glowed with health and happiness over and above his typically well-groomed appearance. Together, they were, as he had observed that morning, beautiful.

Ser Cauthrien approached them and bowed to Kallian, arms crossed over her chest. "Commander, it is good to see you returned to us, rested and healthy. Zevran." She nodded to him.

"Alistair asked me to make sure you come up front, Kallian," Cauthrien said with a smirk, twitching her head toward the stairs leading to the dais upon which the throne sat.

Kallian followed Cauthrien, her hand resting on Zevran's arm, smiling to those around her as she passed. No sooner had they stopped short of the stairs to the dais, the Grand Cleric appeared. The seneschal's voice rang out as he announced Alistair and Anora's arrival and everyone turned to watch as they walked down the center isle toward the stairs.

The couple shone in golden hues. Alistair, with his gold-blond hair and tanned complexion looked quite spectacular in Cailan's armor. Anora wore a simple but elegant gown in a golden tone, her blond locks loosely bound in a braid down her back rather than tightly coiled at her neck, the effect being a much softer-looking Anora. Alistair spotted Kallian and smiled. She returned the gesture and then nearly burst into laughter. Alistair had reached out for Anora's hand, startling the Queen. She jumped a little and snatched her hand away, then laughed lightly and wove her fingers through Alistair's, smiling up at him. After a moment's pause, he leaned down and kissed Anora on the cheek. A rosy blush colored their faces and she smiled demurely. A murmur of approval rippled through the crowd. If the pair was genuinely affectionate with one another, there was hope the country would do well under their rule.

Alistair and Anora climbed the stairs to the dais and stood before the Grand Cleric. She blessed Alistair, called upon the Maker to look favorably upon his reign, and announced that the royal wedding would take place in six months' time, by mid-Drakonis. With a final blessing for the royal couple, she presented King Alistair Theirin to the assembled crowd. Anora stepped to the side as Alistair raised his hands to quiet the cheers and applause.

"Thank you, thank you. Truly, we thank you for your support." He cleared his throat and smiled down upon Kallian, taking a moment to clear his thoughts.

"My friends, we are here to celebrate those who helped us to victory…" As he spoke, he pointed to members of their party and representatives of the armies that had aided them in the fight against the archdemon.

Kallian smiled, nodding to those he acknowledged. She managed to keep the smile on her face when her nerves began to get the better of her. Alistair was about to call her up to the dais.

"…who deserves commendation. The one who led our armies in the final charge against the archdemon and remains with us still is an inspiration to all those she saved that day. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the Hero of Ferelden, the first Warden to defeat the Blight since Garahel, four hundred years ago."

As the crowd cheered and clapped, Kallian went to Alistair's side and bowed. He took her hands in his and smiled.

"My friend, it is hard to imagine how you could have aided Ferelden more. I think it only appropriate that I return the favor. Is there a boon you would request of Ferelden's king? If it is within my powers, I will grant it."

She had known he would do this, and she had thought long and hard about what she would say when the time came. "Your Majesty, I should like to see my people treated fairly for once."

Alistair was just as ready with a quick response. "An excellent idea. What would you say to becoming the Bann of the Denerim Alienage? A voice for the elves in the Landsmeet?"

She was thankful she was simply standing before him, and not eating or drinking anything, for she would most certainly have choked on it or spit it out at Alistair. She was dumbstruck, never having anticipated that he would make such a bold and monumentally huge gesture at the start of his reign. The rumble of mixed reactions that rippled through the crowd of nobles confirmed what she thought. This would be a controversial matter indeed. Anora, however, was smiling and nodding, and it was evident that she was well aware of his intentions.

Kallian forced herself to open her mouth, not wanting to look like a complete idiot. "Thank you, Sire, that is most generous of you, but I think Shianni would be a better choice."

Alistair nodded. "We shall have to track her down and give her the news. Our alienage will have its own ruler and laws. Hopefully this is only the beginning."

He smirked at her then, and winked, she thought, as he released her hands and turned to face the hall. "Let it also be known that the Arling of Amaranthine, once the lands of Rendon Howe, is now granted to the Grey Wardens. There they can rebuild, following the example of those who came before them."

In the clamor that followed, indicative of another mixed reaction, Kallian tried to process what had just happened. He wasn't giving the Wardens a plot of land or a manor house or a compound, he was giving them an entire _arling_. And if the Wardens had control of the _arling_…She looked for Zevran and saw him standing at the base of the stairs, watching her and Alistair. While he appeared calm, she could see the telltale signs of a mix of emotions in his body language. Alistair's voice cut through her thoughts.

"So, what are your plans for the immediate future? Will you remain in Denerim, or were you planning on travelling for a bit? Extend the honeymoon?"

"Ah…I want to go to Soldier's Peak, see what Avernus has been up to lately. Um…and then off to Amaranthine, I suppose, but I don't…"

Alistair's brows rose and he lifted a finger into the air. "Oh, wait. I forgot to tell you the best part. I received a letter from Empress Celine two weeks ago stating she had sent a group of Wardens to Ferelden to help rebuild the order. Anora and I had to move quickly, Amaranthine seemed the best option, and so I had our messengers intercept them on the North Road. They should be there within another week at the most, I imagine. They're bringing weapons, armor, supplies, maps of the Deep Roads, and other provisions."

As pleased as she was to know that other Wardens were coming to Ferelden, Kallian's brow creased with annoyance. "Two weeks ago I was still here and we were talking about this very thing, where the Grey Wardens should settle. Why on earth didn't you tell me this then?"

He laughed. "You were about to be married, you had other things on your mind!"

Anora had drifted away and was standing with Zevran, watching the two Wardens.

Kallian plastered a smile on her face. "Alistair, did you just put me in charge of the _arling_?"

"Yes," he replied, folding his arms over his chest. "It will be the responsibility of the Ferelden Warden Commander to run the arling, handle matters relating to justice, that sort of thing. You'll have the seneschal, Varel, to help you with the day-to-day matters, of course. This is the perfect opportunity to build the community of which you spoke. It's all there, but Howe let it fall into disrepair, ignored the needs of his people…"

"And you've just put an _elf_ in charge. Me, nonetheless, a Grey Warden who isn't supposed to get involved in politics. I can only imagine what the people will think. No, no, _no_. I'm not interested in nobility, lands and titles, I-I'm a Grey Warden. Everything I know about politics, I learned in this Blight. I know even less about governing…"

Something about this argument struck her as familiar. The smile on Alistair's face confirmed it.

"Aaaand now you know how I felt," he said with that completely disarming lopsided grin of his.

Kallian stood before him with her mouth hanging open for a moment before regaining her senses. There wasn't much point in arguing with him, she could see that. The king and queen had made their decision, a public announcement had been made, and she had to admit that after what had happened at Ostagar, Alistair's gesture was no small thing. This act would prove that the ruling monarchy supported the Grey Wardens. There would be repercussions, of course. She didn't have to be politically savvy to know that. People would disapprove of elves having a bann and an arlessa, and who knew what the citizens in Howe's former arling would think. She smiled and nodded curtly.

"Okay, okay, we'll see how this goes." She hoped her voice didn't betray her concern that it could go quite badly.

Alistair became serious again. "Look, the First Warden at Weisshaupt is asking…_questions_. What do you think we should tell them?"

"The truth?" she snickered.

"Riiight. That a maleficar ran off to have my demon baby? No, thank you."

Kallian's eyes drifted to Anora who was chatting amiably with Zevran. "Have you told Anora about…any of that?"

Alistair shook his head. "No, nooo, but…I think I should tell her something, don't you?"

She sighed and absentmindedly smoothed her hair. "I don't know, my friend. You saw the letter with Cailan's papers. Eamon wanted him to set her aside because she hadn't produced an heir. However, in spite of the rumors about him, there hasn't been any suggestion that he was able to father a child with anyone else, so…" she shrugged. "It would be cruel to make her think she's barren when she might very well not be, don't you think? As for your shortened life span, that's up to you, but I don't think you can just wander off into the Deep Roads and leave your wife and the rest of Ferelden wondering what happened to you."

Alistair nodded. "That does give me something to think about. Petra doesn't know _why_ I've been asking, exactly, but I have been wondering if there is anything we can do to increase my and Anora's chances of conceiving, but enough of this dreariness. There is a group of Ferelden citizens outside who want to get a better look at their hero. I suggest you at least make a brief appearance before they storm the gates."

"Pfft. Hero of Ferelden. I'm still mad at you about that, you know. I want to say a few words to some people before I face the masses."

He clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Just make sure you're in the great hall for supper. Anora has been planning this feast for days now."

Kallian nodded and rolled her shoulders, standing straight and proud. "Thank you, Alistair. For everything."

On her way out of the throne room, she spoke to several people. Her father was beside himself with pride and awe. Sten was planning on returning home and would be leaving within days. The Chantry had asked Leliana to assist Brother Genitivi with an expedition to Haven to further investigate the Urn of Sacred Ashes and she was already planning a trip to the small village after Alistair's wedding. Oghren would be staying on the surface to join the King's Guard at Alistair's invitation and was also considering a trip to Lake Calenhad to look up an old flame named Felsi. Eamon would be Alistair's Chancellor, while Teagan would take over as the Arl of Redcliffe. Isolde would be escorting Connor to the Circle Tower within the week and she would be returning to Denerim permanently. Kallian and Cauthrien agreed to discuss Cauthrien's options, but the soldier expressed an interesting in staying at the Denerim compound. Kallian was happiest to learn that Petra had been granted leave from the Circle Tower to stay with her at least until the birth of her child, and that Irving had hinted if she wished to join the Grey Wardens, she would not be discouraged. Kallian cringed slightly, wondering if Petra would survive the Joining, and thought briefly of how she would cope with that aspect of the recruitment process. Pushing these darker thoughts from her mind, she finally joined the guard at the doors to the courtyard and prepared to face the people of Ferelden. Tossing a brilliant smile to Zevran and Lucius, she stepped out onto the stairs to a roar of cheering and applause. Waving to the crowd, she thought it was a great day to be an elf.

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *

**A/N:** Happy new year! At long last, an update. Much to my surprise, I ended _A Second Chance_ here. In truth, as I contemplated ideas for a sequel, I found myself thinking I really should write something tragic, heart wrenching. And then it hit me, a tragedy to make our Hero of Ferelden suffer, and from the moment that evil little thought crept into my mind, I haven't been able to let it go. Trust me, this won't be your standard miscarriage or 'Zevran Leaves the Warden' fare, but that is all I am saying. My only problem now is coming up with a title and an outline before I launch it...hopefully I'll have something posted within the next two weeks.

Much thanks to Bioware and to all the readers who have popped in and commented/reviewed and added me to favorites/alert lists. I have become quite the review junkie and really do appreciate anything that helps me grow as a dabbler in the art of writing. Zevgirl, Zute, and TMcGee, you rock!

All the best to you in 2011. Cheers, Biff


	36. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

_If you have enjoyed reading this and want to continue following Kallian's adventures in Amaranthine, I am five chapters into A Second Chance: Awakenings, which you can find by visiting my profile._

_Cheers!_

_Biff_


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